411
FXUS66 KOTX 271923
AFDOTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
1223 PM PDT THU AUG 27 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- BREEZY WINDS TODAY (THURSDAY) BRINGING ELEVATED TO LOCALLY
CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
- COOLER TEMPERATURES AND POTENTIAL FOR MOUNTAIN SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ON SATURDAY.
- TEMPERATURES WARM BRIEFLY MONDAY AND TUESDAY, THEN RETURN TO
BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
SYNOPSIS
A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH TODAY (THURSDAY), BRINGING BREEZY
SOUTHWEST WINDS AND DRY CONDITIONS. THEN, ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVES
THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING, BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF BREEZY WINDS,
COOLER TEMPERATURES, AND CHANCES FOR MOUNTAIN SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. FOLLOWING SATURDAY'S COLD FRONT PASSAGE, TEMPERATURES
WILL COOL INTO THE 70S FOR THE WEEKEND. A PROGRESSIVE WEATHER
PATTERN CONTINUES INTO NEXT WEEK WITH A BRIEF WARMUP MONDAY AND
TUESDAY FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER COOLDOWN MIDWEEK.
DISCUSSION
TODAY (THURSDAY): A COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TRAVERSING EASTWARD
ACROSS THE INLAND NORTHWEST THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING,
BRINGING BREEZY WINDS AND LEAVING DRY, COOL AIR IN ITS WAKE. THE
FRONT IS OVER THE EASTERN THIRD OF WA AS OF THIS AFTERNOON AND IS
FORECAST TO MAKE IT INTO THE ID PANHANDLE BY EARLY THIS EVENING.
HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL BE 5-10 DEGREES COOLER THAN YESTERDAY
IN THE MID 80S. BREEZY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL PERSIST INTO THE EVENING
WITH A TIGHT SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE REGION. EXPECT
SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF 15-25 MPH AND GUSTS OF 25-35 MPH. CENTRAL
WA, PARTICULARLY THE OKANOGAN VALLEY AND WATERVILLE PLATEAU, WILL
SEE WIND SPEEDS AND GUSTS AT THE HIGH END OF THOSE RANGES AS WELL AS
MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES DROPPING INTO THE UPPER TEENS. A
RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THESE AREAS THROUGH 8PM TONIGHT
DUE TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS RESULTING FROM THE BREEZY
WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY. WINDS WILL SUBSIDE OVERNIGHT AS THE
FRONT MOVES OUT OF THE AREA.
FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY: THE INLAND NORTHWEST REMAINS UNDER AN UPPER
LEVEL TROUGH WITH SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCES PIVOTING AROUND IT. FRIDAY
WILL REMAIN DRY AND A BIT BREEZY. FRIDAY AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES
WILL BE 2-5 DEGREES COOLER THAN TODAY'S IN THE UPPER 70S TO LOW 80S.
A DEEPER AND COLDER SYSTEM ARRIVES SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY, BRINGING
OUR TEMPERATURES DOWN EVEN FURTHER WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS OVER THE
WEEKEND FORECAST TO PEAK IN THE LOW TO MID 70S (UPPER 70S FOR THE
WARMER LEWISTON-CLARKSTON VALLEY). IN ADDITION TO NOTABLY COOLER
TEMPERATURES, THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS TO THE CASCADES, OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN ALONG THE
CANADIAN BORDER, AND ACROSS SOUTHEAST WA AND THE CENTRAL ID
PANHANDLE. WHILE THERE WILL BE ENOUGH MID-LEVEL MOISTURE AND
INSTABILITY FOR SHOWERS, LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE WILL STILL
BE QUITE DRY, SO RAIN AMOUNTS WILL BE LIGHT WITH MOST OF THE
AFOREMENTIONED LOCATIONS SEEING LESS THAN 0.10 INCHES OF TOTAL
PRECIPITATION. CLASSIC INVERTED-V MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE POTENTIAL
FOR GUSTY DOWNDRAFT WINDS WITH ANY SHOWERS OR STORMS THAT DEVELOP.
WINDS WILL ALSO JUST BE BREEZY IN GENERAL AS SATURDAY'S SYSTEM MOVES
THROUGH, EVEN WHERE THERE ARE NO SHOWERS OR STORMS. EXPECT
WEST/SOUTHWEST WINDS WITH GUSTS OF 20-30 MPH. SUNDAY WILL BE LESS
WINDY AND LARGELY DRY WITH CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION CONFINED TO THE
EASTERN ID PANHANDLE AS THE WEATHER SYSTEM SHIFTS EAST OUT OF THE
REGION.
IT'S ALSO WORTH MENTIONING THAT LOW TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO
FALL INTO THE UPPER 30S AND 40S SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING,
POTENTIALLY LEADING TO FROST DEVELOPMENT FOR SOME OF THE COLDER
SHELTERED VALLEYS. THOSE IN SHELTERED VALLEYS MAY ALSO WAKE UP TO
FOG SUNDAY MORNING THANKS TO LIGHT WINDS AND RESIDUAL LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE FROM SATURDAY'S SHOWERS.
MONDAY TO WEDNESDAY: A PROGRESSIVE WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES INTO
NEXT WEEK. A BRIEF RETURN TO WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS IS EXPECTED
MONDAY AND TUESDAY, THEN ANOTHER SYSTEM MOVES IN BY WEDNESDAY,
BRINGING BACK COOLER TEMPERATURES AND ADDITIONAL CHANCES FOR
PRECIPITATION. /FEWKES
AVIATION
18Z TAFS: MID TO HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE
THROUGH REGION THIS MORNING AS A COLD FRONT TRACKS FROM WEST TO
EAST. PRIMARILY VFR CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST, WITH THE EXCEPTION
OF DEGRADED VISIBILITIES AT TIMES DUE TO WILDFIRE SMOKE. SMOKE
IS MOST LIKELY TO REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO 4-6SM THIS EVENING AT
KMWH, KGEG, KSFF, AND KCOE. WINDS INCREASE THROUGH LATE MORNING
TO AFTERNOON, GUSTING AROUND 18-25 KTS AT TAF SITES, THEN
DECREASE AFTER 02-03Z FRIDAY.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: LOW CONFIDENCE
REGARDING DEGREE OF VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS FROM WILDFIRE SMOKE
AT KMWH, KGEG, KSFF, AND KCOE.
-----------------------
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 52 80 52 73 47 72 / 0 0 0 0 10 10
COEUR D'ALENE 52 80 52 73 47 72 / 0 0 0 0 10 10
PULLMAN 46 77 46 70 40 70 / 0 0 10 0 10 10
LEWISTON 57 84 57 78 53 77 / 0 0 10 0 10 10
COLVILLE 43 79 41 72 37 73 / 0 0 0 40 40 10
SANDPOINT 53 77 51 71 46 68 / 0 0 0 10 20 20
KELLOGG 51 78 50 70 42 67 / 0 0 20 0 30 20
MOSES LAKE 50 83 50 76 46 76 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
WENATCHEE 58 82 59 74 55 77 / 0 0 0 10 0 0
OMAK 52 82 52 74 47 77 / 0 0 0 50 20 0
OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...AIR QUALITY ALERT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE FOR CHELAN,
DOUGLAS, AND OKANOGAN COUNTIES.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR OKANOGAN
VALLEY (ZONE 703)-WATERVILLE PLATEAU (ZONE 706).
ID...NONE.
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