615 FXUS66 KOTX 272106 AFDOTXArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 206 PM PDT Sat Sep 27 2025
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Warm and dry weekend.
- Areas of haze and smoke impacting air quality across the region.
- Unsettled weather pattern next week with chances for showers and thunderstorms.
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.SYNOPSIS... Temperatures trend warmer for this weekend with highs in the upper 70s to mid 80s by Sunday. Cooler temperatures and chances for showers for the first half of next week.
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.DISCUSSION... Today and Sunday: The Inland Northwest remains in mild and dry post frontal airmass with passing mid and high clouds this afternoon and into tonight. Temperatures today will peak in the 60s and 70s with the warmest conditions along and south of I-90 where it is sunny. Deepening southerly flow ahead of a shortwave off the west coast and ridge amplification in the central US will bring some of the last 80+ degree temperatures to the Inland Northwest Sunday.
Monday through Saturday: Changes are coming tomorrow night with increasing cloud cover ahead of a series of shortwaves. The main low will stall off the WA coast Tuesday and remain nearly stationary through at least Wednesday night bringing cooler temperatures in the 60s, periods of showers through the week, and breezy conditions. Showers Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon may be accompanied by isolated lightning strikes with 100-300 J/kg of surface based instability. The best chances (15-20%) for thunderstorms Tuesday are in the northern mountains and the Idaho Panhandle. Mid-level cooling as the trough approaches the WA coast Wednesday brings the best thunderstorm chances (15-20%) west towards the Cascades and the northern mountains. With increased atmospheric moisture, fire concerns will be very low. Some of the higher mountain peaks above 7000 feet will see some of the first accumulating snowfall this fall around an inch or less through Thursday. There is still some uncertainty in rain amounts through the week, but listed below are the chances to see 0.25 or more from 5 AM Monday - 5 AM Thursday:
Columbia Basin: 10-30% Palouse: 40-70% Spokane area: 50% Okanogan and Methow Valleys: 50-70% Northern Mountains: 60-90% ID Panhandle: 70-90%
Unsettled conditions will continue beyond Thursday with ensembles developing another shortwave in the Gulf of Alaska. Expect cooler temperatures, shower chances, and breezy conditions to stick around for the late week and into next weekend. /Butler
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.AVIATION... 18Z TAFS: VFR conditions to continue through the period though smoke will be the primary concern with winds trending lighter lowering mixing heights.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Low confidence for MVFR or worse conditions from wildfire smoke.
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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:/weather.gov/otx/avndashboard
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.Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs... Spokane 50 83 54 74 53 69 / 0 0 0 10 50 50 Coeur d`Alene 51 83 53 75 53 69 / 0 0 0 10 60 60 Pullman 48 81 52 73 49 68 / 0 0 0 20 60 60 Lewiston 54 85 58 77 58 74 / 0 0 10 20 70 50 Colville 37 79 43 73 42 67 / 10 0 10 20 60 70 Sandpoint 45 79 48 72 48 66 / 0 0 0 20 60 70 Kellogg 55 82 58 75 55 64 / 0 0 0 30 70 80 Moses Lake 47 81 53 75 51 72 / 0 0 0 10 40 40 Wenatchee 55 79 59 73 54 70 / 0 0 10 30 50 40 Omak 50 81 53 74 51 70 / 0 0 0 20 50 50
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.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...Air Quality Alert until noon PDT Monday for Central Chelan County-Okanogan Valley-Waterville Plateau-Wenatchee Area- Western Chelan County. ID...None.
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NWS OTX Office Area Forecast Discussion