


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Spokane, WA
Issued by NWS Spokane, WA
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478 FXUS66 KOTX 161717 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 1017 AM PDT Mon Jun 16 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Elevated fire weather conditions through Wednesday. - Cooler with increasing precipitation chances Friday through the weekend. && .SYNOPSIS... Warmer temperatures to start off the week with an increasing risk for elevated fire weather conditions from gusty winds and dry conditions through the middle of this week. Cooler temperatures and chances for showers increase late week into next weekend. && .DISCUSSION... Monday through Wednesday: Starting off the week with a short- wave ridge will give way to temperatures warming 5-8F degrees warmer than Sunday. The upper level pattern will bring through a quick short-wave weather feature that will deliver breezy to gusty westerly winds especially in central/north-central Washington through the Cascade Gaps. Very dry conditions will further be depleted of moisture, which will lead to elevated fire weather conditions. A Red Flag Warning will be in effect Monday afternoon through evening for rapidly spreading of fires should any ignite given these weather conditions. The next round of breezy-gusty winds will arrive Wednesday with another quick- moving weather system. A larger areal coverage of windy conditions (15-25 mph) across the Basin, Central and Eastern Washington. The slight difference in Monday compared to Tuesday and Wednesday will be the slight increase in humidities Tues and Wed. Conditions will still be very dry and a concern for fire weather conditions being met is on our minds. Thursday through Sunday: Environmental moisture (PWAT) will be starting very dry (50-70% of normal) as the next trough approaches the Northwest. It is not until late in the weekend when PWATS reach the 100-120% of normal. Starting late Friday the upper level pattern will bring several waves of energy associated with the larger upper level Low as it moves into the Oregon coast. Cooler temperatures and widespread increasing chances for rain begin to encompass the region Friday through Sunday. What are some of the potential amounts? The probability of seeing 0.10 inches of rain (wetting rain) through Saturday afternoon for the Cascade Crest is 45-55%, Omak 35%, Colville - Sandpoint-Kellogg 45-55%, Spokane - Pullman - Lewiston 25-30%. Through Sunday evening/Monday morning the middle of the road precipitation forecast totals could be 0.10-15" in Wenatchee and Moses Lake, 0.25 - 0.40" in the Okanogan Highlands, Northeast Mountains, Spokane, Washington and Idaho Palouse, and locally higher in the mountains and high elevations of North Idaho. While these potential rain amounts are welcoming, they come with a hefty moderate confidence due to the currently very dry conditions we are observing. The rain could be absorbed into the soil very efficiently as we gear up for the next round of ridging and warming by mid to late next week. /Dewey && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS: VFR conditions through the next 24 hours. Increasing west/southwest winds around 21-00z this evening, especially in central Washington (EAT/EPH) 00-05z. Otherwise, showers and thunderstorms will pass just south of Lewiston closer to Grangeville but HREF continues to show a 10% continue for lightning as far north as Lewiston. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence for VFR conditions. Low confidence for convection to impact Lewiston. ----------------------- 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 85 51 80 51 79 49 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Coeur d`Alene 85 51 80 51 80 50 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pullman 80 45 77 48 76 46 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lewiston 88 55 87 56 87 55 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Colville 84 44 80 43 78 41 / 0 0 0 10 10 0 Sandpoint 82 49 79 47 79 47 / 0 0 0 10 10 0 Kellogg 81 54 77 54 77 53 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Moses Lake 89 49 86 51 84 48 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wenatchee 87 56 85 58 81 52 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Omak 87 51 84 51 83 49 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...Red Flag Warning from 2 PM this afternoon to 9 PM PDT this evening for Foothills of Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705)-Waterville Plateau (Zone 706). ID...None. && $$