176
FXUS66 KOTX 040548
AFDOTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
1048 PM PDT MON AUG 3 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- EXTENSIVE AMOUNTS OF SMOKE WILL CONTINUE OVER THE REGION THIS
WEEK, MAINTAINING UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY.
- TEMPERATURES STEADILY WARM THROUGH THE THROUGH THE WEEK AHEAD,
WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING ABOVE NORMAL BY THE MIDDLE OF THE
WEEK.
- DRY CONDITIONS AND BREEZY WINDS INCREASE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL WASHINGTON, BRINGING ELEVATED FIRE
WEATHER CONDITIONS.
SYNOPSIS
HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES ACROSS THE REGION THIS WEEK, BRINGING
STEADILY WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS EACH DAY. WILDFIRE SMOKE
WILL BRING DEGRADED AIR QUALITY FOR THE INLAND NORTHWEST. BREEZY
WINDS INCREASE LATE IN THE WEEK, LEADING TO INCREASED FIRE
WEATHER CONDITIONS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.
DISCUSSION
WIDESPREAD SMOKE REMAINS ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON, WITH
A DRY NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN EMERGING BEHIND THE DEPARTED UPPER
TROUGH. HIGH PRESSURE THEN CONTINUES TO BUILD OVER THE AREA
THROUGH MIDWEEK. THIS WILL MAINTAIN WARMER DAYTIME TEMPERATURES
AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES EACH DAY. WITH WINDS GENERALLY
FROM THE NORTH/NORTHWEST, EXPECT ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF SMOKE TO
IMPACT THE REGION FROM LOCAL AND REGIONAL FIRES. ONCE THE SMOKE
ARRIVES, EASING WINDS AND STRONGER HIGH PRESSURE WILL LEAVE
LINGERING ISSUES. AIR QUALITY ALERTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED BY AIR
QUALITY AGENCIES ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN WASHINGTON, AS WELL
AS NORTH IDAHO. WHILE THE CURRENT TEMPERATURE FORECAST CONTINUES
TO REFLECT TEMPERATURES REACHING WELL INTO THE 90S WEDNESDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY, THE IMPACT OF THE WIDESPREAD SMOKE ACROSS THE
REGION COULD HOLD DAYTIME TEMPERATURES A LITTLE COOLER THAN
WOULD OTHERWISE BE EXPECTED.
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE END OF THE WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND, DRY
AIR REMAINS IN PLACE BUT THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE BEGINS TO
FLATTEN OUT. THIS ZONAL FLOW AND THE DRY AIR MASS WILL BRING
INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR WIND GUSTS AROUND 30 MPH THROUGH THE
CASCADE GAPS AND AROUND 20 MPH ACROSS PORTIONS OF EASTERN
WASHINGTON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. THIS WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL
FOR ELEVATED TO LOCALLY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
AVIATION
06Z TAFS: MVFR VISIBILITIES CONTINUE AT MOST TERMINALS THIS
EVENING WITH ABUNDANT SMOKE FROM LOCAL AND REGIONAL WILDFIRES.
CEILINGS BETWEEN 3000-5000 FT ASSOCIATED WITH A THICKER SMOKE
LAYER CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED AT TIMES, ESPECIALLY CLOSER TO LARGER
FIRES. MVFR VISIBILITIES, WITH LOCALIZED IFR VISIBILITIES, WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY AT MOST SITES. MOSTLY NORTHERLY WINDS
AT THE TERMINALS TONIGHT, THOUGH DIRECTIONS ARE EXPECTED TO
BECOME MORE VARIABLE AS WINDS EASE OVERNIGHT. WINDS WILL BECOME
MORE WESTERLY TO NORTHWESTERLY ACROSS THE SITES BY LATE TUESDAY
MORNING.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: MODERATE CONFIDENCE
IN WINDS. MODERATE CONFIDENCE FOR SMOKE IMPACTS BRINGING MVFR
TO IFR VISIBILITIES FOR AREA TAF SITES.
-----------------------
CONFIDENCE DESCRIPTORS:
LOW - LESS THAN A 30 PERCENT CHANCE
MODERATE - 30 TO 70 PERCENT CHANCE
HIGH - GREATER THAN A 70 PERCENT CHANCE
FOR ADDITIONAL PROBABILISTIC INFORMATION FOR NWS SPOKANE AIRPORTS,
PLEASE REFER TO THE AVIATION DASHBOARD ON OUR WEBPAGE:
HTTPS:/WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OTX/AVNDASHBOARD
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
SPOKANE 50 85 53 91 56 95 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
COEUR D'ALENE 50 84 54 89 57 94 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
PULLMAN 44 83 46 89 50 93 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
LEWISTON 54 89 57 95 61 101 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
COLVILLE 42 86 46 91 50 95 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
SANDPOINT 45 82 48 87 52 92 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
KELLOGG 49 80 52 85 55 91 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
MOSES LAKE 52 89 54 94 57 98 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
WENATCHEE 60 90 64 95 66 100 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
OMAK 54 90 57 95 61 99 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...AIR QUALITY ALERT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE FOR ADAMS, ASOTIN,
CHELAN, DOUGLAS, FERRY, GARFIELD, GRANT, LINCOLN, OKANOGAN, PEND
OREILLE, SPOKANE, STEVENS, AND WHITMAN COUNTIES
ID...AIR QUALITY ALERT UNTIL NOON PDT WEDNESDAY FOR BOUNDARY,
BONNER, BENEWAH, CLEARWATER, IDAHO, KOOTENAI, LATAH, LEWIS, AND
NEZ PERCE, AND SHOSHONE COUNTIES
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