879 FXUS66 KOTX 020548 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 948 PM PST Sun Nov 1 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Mostly dry conditions Sunday evening through Wednesday. - Two systems moving in mid to late week will bring light rain and mountain snow. && .SYNOPSIS... Drier air moving in Sunday afternoon will result in conditions being seasonal and mostly dry through Wednesday. Mountain snow showers and rain showers return mid to late week as two systems move through. && .DISCUSSION... Sunday through Wednesday afternoon: As the low moves further southeastward, clouds will continue to clear from the Inland northwest moving eastward as well. The last of any residual fog is finally dissipating. By later this evening, most areas apart from Shoshone County in Idaho will see clear skies. This clearing, alongside a moist boundary layer and light winds, leads to the potential for fog formation tomorrow morning. Areas that look to see the best potential for fog are the Spokane area down into the Columbia Basin, which see RHs closest to or at 100%. Should dense fog form as it did this past Saturday morning, make sure you slow down and use your low beams if you encounter fog tomorrow morning. Aside from light showers in the Cascades on Tuesday as a low passes to our south, things look relatively quiet through Wednesday afternoon. Highs will continue to be near normal (high 40s to low 50s), as will lows (low to mid 30s). Wednesday night through Friday: Wednesday night into Thursday, the first of two mid to end of week systems moves through. A trough will move through, bringing a chance for light rain and mountain snow. Snow levels with this system will be very high, 5000 feet and above, and totals will be low, with Stevens Pass expected to see an inch or less and Washington Pass expected to see 2-3 inches. From Moses Lake to Omak and Southward, expect light precipitation with totals under 0.10 inches. Thursday night into Friday, the next system will move in, bringing more rain and mountain snow to the area. Stevens Pass has an 11% chance of seeing 4 or more inches of snow Thursday night through Friday night, and Washington Pass has a 26% chance. Snow levels will be slightly lower with this storm, around 4500 feet. The rest of the forecast area looks to see rain, but not much, with most of the area seeing 0.10 inches or lower. The highest totals will be seen in the Cascades and ID Panhandle mountains, where there is a 30 percent chance of a quarter-inch of rain. As this system moves in, a tightening pressure gradient will lead to breezy winds in the Okanogan Valley Friday afternoon and evening, though impacts look to be minimal. Saturday through Sunday: Ridging over the PNW will take place as a strong low stays put off the Alaskan and Canadian coast. 70 percent of the ensembles show higher heights over the entire forecast area, and temperatures will rise a few degrees by Saturday and Sunday. Small shortwaves along the ridge will promote continued showers, especially in the Cascades. Confidence decreases into next week, with clusters torn on the strong low impacting the PNW or staying off the coast with the ridge prevailing. /AS && .AVIATION... 06Z TAFS: A challenging forecast for fog and low stratus will continue tonight, but the best chances for fog will be at KSFF- KGEG-KMWH. The peak chances for half mile or less visibility are between 09Z-17Z for KGEG (70% chance), 12Z-17Z for KSFF (30% chance), and between 12Z-17Z for KMWH (20% chance). Southeast winds will hamper potential for fog at KPUW. The HREF shows a 30% potential for IFR ceilings through 19Z at KCOE and there is already a low MVFR stratus deck in place, so ceilings will trend down between 06-09Z. Fog and low stratus clears around 17-19Z and a high cloud deck overspreads the region as a shortwave trough approaches the Pacific Northwest. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Low confidence for fog and stratus through 19Z. High confidence in VFR conditions Monday afternoon. ----------------------- 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 33 50 35 52 34 52 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Coeur d`Alene 33 50 34 52 35 52 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pullman 32 51 34 53 33 51 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lewiston 38 55 39 55 39 56 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Colville 27 49 26 52 26 53 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sandpoint 32 48 31 50 32 51 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kellogg 34 50 34 53 35 52 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Moses Lake 29 54 35 56 29 55 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wenatchee 34 50 41 53 38 53 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Omak 31 50 35 53 33 54 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...None. ID...None. && $$
NWS OTX Office Area Forecast Discussion
Discussion Script by Ken True at Saratoga Weather - WFO Script by SE Lincoln Weather