FXUS66 KOTX 190939 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 239 AM PDT Thu Sep 19 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Weather will trend drier toward the end of the work week, then light rain chances mainly for the mountains Sunday into Monday. A ridge of high pressure will deliver above normal temperatures early next week. && .DISCUSSION... Today through Saturday night: The PacNW remains under a northwest flow as an upper-level low moves south through California and another travels northeast across Montana and North Dakota. Weak ridging builds into the region this morning, keeping temperatures in the 70s for much of the region, reaching the low 80s in the Columbia Basin. Another system will pass to the north beginning overnight tonight, tightening the pressure gradient to allow for winds to increase in the Cascade Gaps and Waterville Plateau. Elevated winds will increase late this evening, continuing overnight, before decreasing early on Friday. As the weak front moves through Friday afternoon, winds will switch more northerly through the Okanogan Valley as this system continues to move east. Winds will decrease Friday evening, continuing to be light and northerly regionwide through Saturday. Temperatures will be near normal Thursday, cooling Friday and Saturday with temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s. Overnight lows on Friday night will be the coolest we've seen in recent months, with temperatures dropping generally into the 40s, with valleys in the Idaho Panhandle and northern mountains dropping to near or slightly below freezing. Those who are still tending to gardens may want to take precautions. /KM Sunday through Thursday: A strengthening ridge will be in place over the region. An incoming trough will press into the ridge but struggle to breach it. Ensembles have decent agreement of the generally dry warming trend for the Inland Northwest. The best chances of precip( around 20% probability of 0.1") are over the Cascades and northern mountains for Sunday into Monday. The ridge will bring some unseasonably warm temperatures along with it. Highs will be in the upper 70s and 80s. Many areas will see highs 10-15 degrees above normal. Overnight lows will be in the 40s to low 50s. The ridge is expected to breakdown by the end of the week as an incoming trough will push it East and starts a cooling trend for the weekend. /JDC && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS: VFR conditions will prevail. A weather system passing to the north will increase westerly winds this afternoon across the Wenatchee area, Columbia Basin. Wind gusts to near 20 kts are forecast but could be locally stronger especially around KEAT. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence for VFR conditions to continue for the TAF sites. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Spokane 76 46 71 41 70 44 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Coeur d'Alene 74 45 70 41 69 43 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pullman 72 44 64 38 67 40 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lewiston 81 52 73 48 72 48 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Colville 75 36 69 31 70 35 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sandpoint 72 42 67 36 66 40 / 0 0 10 0 0 0 Kellogg 72 46 64 43 66 46 / 0 0 10 0 0 0 Moses Lake 79 46 73 42 72 43 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wenatchee 79 53 72 48 74 50 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Omak 81 47 75 44 75 48 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. WA...None. && $$