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Area Forecast Discussion · OTX

Spokane, Washington

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2601 North Rambo Road, Spokane County, WA 99224, United States of America

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Product header AFDOTX·FXUS66 KOTX 010548
Title
Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by
National Weather Service Spokane WA
AWIPS ID
AFDOTX
WMO heading
FXUS66 KOTX 010548
Sequence
714

KEY MESSAGES

  • Cool temperatures, light winds, and 20-50% chance of light rain Sunday morning in southeast Washington and southern Idaho Panhandle. Light rain accumulations up to a tenth of an inch .
  • Dry conditions Sunday evening through Wednesday.

SYNOPSIS

Mid and high clouds bring a small chance of sprinkles and showers to southeastern Washington and north Idaho through Sunday morning. Drier air arrives Sunday afternoon and conditions remain seasonal and dry through Wednesday. Mountain snow showers return mid to late week.

DISCUSSION

Sunday through Wednesday: The upper level that was offshore finally moves into northern California tonight, bringing clouds and light rain to southeast Washington and the southern Idaho Panhandle. Because the best dynamics are shifting south, the chance for substantial rain tonight is decreasing. There is a 10-30% chance of 0.10 or more of rain through Sunday afternoon for the Palouse, foothills of the Blue Mountains, L-C valley, and Camas Prairie. Dry air filters in from the west during the day behind the base of the shortwave trough, which will lead to very sunny skies filtering into most of the region except lingering low stratus in southeast Washington and the central and southern ID Panhandle. There will be a risk for fog Sunday night with clear skies across the region. Forecasting fog is a low confidence endeavor but high resolution models are hinting at fog development on the northern Palouse and chances increasing to the north and west overnight. Monday through Wednesday afternoon remains quiet and dry with near normal temperatures in the upper 40s to mid 50s.

Wednesday night through Sunday: A couple of waves will move through the region mid to late week, bringing the potential for rain and mountain snow. From 4 AM Thursday to 4 AM Saturday, there is a 5-10% chance of 4+ inches of snow for Stevens Pass and Lookout Pass and a 30% chance for Washington Pass. The Gulf of Alaska longwave trough remains firmly anchored into next weekend with shortwaves pivoting around it, favoring ridging building into our area which would favor drier conditions in 70% of the global ensemble. This does not mean it would be completely dry, especially the Cascades. 30% of the global ensemble resembles a dirty ridge with deeper troughing in the northeast Pacific and displaced further east towards the Pacific northwest. Overall, the next week is drier than we would like to see for the start of November. /DB

AVIATION

06Z TAFS: Clouds have overspread the Inland Northwest and rain has starting falling over KPUW and KLWS. There is a 20-30% chance of reaching KGEG-KSFF by 08Z but confidence is low. Overall, conditions are expected to remain VFR except for KPUW. Upslope westerly flow into KPUW has lead to ceilings dropping to LIFR/IFR earlier than expected. There is a 60% chance this persists until 20z. With continued westerly flow, it would not surprise me if KPUW does not clear out at all before southeasterly winds increase overnight after 06z. Rain will depart KPUW-KLWS by 18Z Sunday. Dry air will filter in bringing sunny skies elsewhere.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence in IFR ceilings for KPUW. Confidence remains moderate to stay IFR through Sunday afternoon and evening. High confidence in VFR conditions elsewhere.


Confidence descriptors:Low - Less than a 30 percent chanceModerate - 30 to 70 percent chanceHigh - 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        38  51  33  52  35  53 /  30  10   0   0   0   0
Coeur d`Alene  38  52  33  51  35  53 /  20  10   0   0   0   0
Pullman        36  48  32  51  35  52 /  30  30   0   0   0   0
Lewiston       42  53  38  55  39  56 /  30  40   0   0   0   0
Colville       32  51  27  51  26  53 /  30  10   0   0   0   0
Sandpoint      35  50  32  49  32  51 /   0  10   0   0   0   0
Kellogg        37  51  34  51  35  54 /  10  20   0   0   0   0
Moses Lake     35  54  29  55  34  57 /  10   0   0   0   0   0
Wenatchee      36  52  34  52  40  56 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Omak           35  51  31  52  36  55 /  10   0   0   0   0   0

OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

WA

None.

ID

None.