183
FXUS66 KOTX 031146
AFDOTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
446 AM PDT THU SEP 3 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- COOL AND SHOWERY WEATHER EXPECTED THROUGH LABOR DAY WEEKEND
WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
SYNOPSIS
ACTIVE WEATHER STICKS AROUND THE REST OF THE WORKWEEK WITH
WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS, BREEZY
WINDS AND TEMPERATURES COOLING BACK BELOW NORMAL.
DISCUSSION
TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY: THE OFFSHORE LOW WILL SPIRAL DOWN THE
COAST, EJECTING SHORTWAVES ACROSS THE INLAND NW BEFORE IT TOO
PIVOTS INLAND TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY. ONE OF THOSE SHORTWAVE BEGAN
ITS TREK INLAND LAST NIGHT AND WILL BE MOVING TRACKING NORTHEAST
THIS MORNING. RAIN ALONG AND AHEAD OF IT WILL IMPACT THE NORTHEAST
HALF OF WA AND THE ID PANHANDLE EARLY THIS MORNING, SHIFTING TO
MAINLY THE NORTHERN COUNTIES AND IDAHO PANHANDLE LATE THIS
MORNING. THEREAFTER THE PRECIPITATION START TO TURN MORE ISOLATED
TO SCATTERED IN NATURE, BECOMING MORE CONVECTIVE FOCUSED AROUND
THE MOUNTAINS AND UP AGAINST THE CASCADES FOR THIS AFTERNOON. SOME
EMBEDDED T-STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING ALONG THE AXIS OF
THAT SHORTWAVE AND THEN IN MORE ISOLATED FASHION AROUND THE
MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON. HEADING INTO THIS EVENING, TONIGHT AND
FRIDAY THAT LOW PIVOTS IN. THE SHOWERS AND T-STORM THREAT NEAR THE
CASCADES WANE THROUGH DARK, BUT FARTHER EAST SHORTWAVE MOVES UP
THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. THAT WILL RENEW RAIN CHANCES OVER SOUTHEAST
WA/LOWER ID THIS EVENING AND ACROSS NORTHEAST WA TO NORTHERN ID
LATE THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT, WRAPPING BACK TOWARD THE
NORTHER MOUNTAINS THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON THE
LINGER UPPER LOW AND BOUNDARY NEAR THE SE CWA WILL CONTINUE TO
MEAN SOME RISK FOR SHOWERS AND T-STORM. CHANCES WILL BE BEST
AROUND THE MOUNTAINS AND OTHERS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN SE WA AND THE
LOWER ID PANHANDLE NEAR THAT BOUNDARY AND SOME OF THE BETTER LAPSE
RATES AND INSTABILITY.
WIND WILL REMAIN A BIT BREEZY TODAY, ESPECIALLY OVER CENTRAL WA
WITH WINDS FROM THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST AT 10 TO 15 MPH AND GUSTS
UP TO 20 MPH. HOWEVER COMPARATIVELY LIGHTER WINDS ARE FORECAST FOR
FRIDAY. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE 60S TO LOWER 70S. LOWS WILL IN THE
UPPER 30S AND 40S THURSDAY NIGHT AND MID-30S TO 40S FRIDAY
NIGHT/SATURDAY AM. WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH FOR SOME PATCHY FROST
THEN.
SATURDAY TO WEDNESDAY: THE INLAND NW REMAINS DOMINATED BY THE
TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE AND BOUNDARY STALLED NEAR THE EASTERN CWA
FOR SOME OF THIS PERIOD. THAT BOUNDARY WILL GIVE SOME EMBEDDED
DISTURBANCES SOMETHING TO FOCUS ALONG. THAT WILL BRING SOME
MODERATE PRECIPITATION CHANCES THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND MONDAY,
WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCES OVER THE EASTERN THIRD OF WA AND ID.
MODELS ARE NOT ENTIRELY IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE
PRECISE WAVES AND PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL, SO THE FORECAST WILL
CONTINUE TO BE FINE-TUNED. MODELS TRENDS TOWARD THE LOW LOSING
INFLUENCE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, SOME EMBEDDED T-STORMS WILL
REMAIN A RISK, BUT THE POTENTIAL IS INCONSISTENT AS THE FOCUS HAS
BEEN CHANGING DAY TO DAY. EXPECT MODERATING TEMPERATURES INTO THE
WEEKEND. /SOLVEIG
AVIATION
12Z TAFS: MVFR CONDITIONS AT KGEG-KSFF-KCOE WILL TREND TOWARDS
VFR IN THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS AS A BAND OF RAIN MOVES OUT OF THE
AREA. OTHERWISE, VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL. THERE IS A SMALL
CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AT KLWS FROM 22Z-00Z BEFORE STEADIER
SHOWERS MOVE INTO THE REGION IN THE EVENING. WINDS WILL BE
BREEZY OUT THE SOUTH/SOUTHWEST FOR THE COLUMBIA BASIN AND
SPOKANE AREA THIS AFTERNOON.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: HIGH CONFIDENCE
IN MVFR CONDITIONS IMPROVING TO VFR. LOW CONFIDENCE IN
THUNDERSTORMS IMPACTING KLWS THIS AFTERNOON.
-----------------------
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 66 47 66 43 68 43 / 40 10 30 20 30 10
COEUR D'ALENE 66 46 66 43 68 43 / 80 30 40 10 40 20
PULLMAN 62 44 63 36 66 37 / 70 50 30 20 30 10
LEWISTON 67 52 68 49 72 49 / 90 80 40 30 30 10
COLVILLE 67 41 67 35 68 35 / 60 0 30 10 40 10
SANDPOINT 64 44 64 38 65 38 / 80 20 30 30 50 20
KELLOGG 61 44 61 43 65 43 / 90 60 50 30 40 10
MOSES LAKE 70 46 69 43 71 44 / 0 10 20 20 10 0
WENATCHEE 68 51 68 53 71 54 / 30 20 40 20 30 10
OMAK 70 46 69 45 70 45 / 60 10 30 30 30 10
OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...NONE.
ID...NONE.
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