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Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Spokane, WA
Issued by NWS Spokane, WA
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630 FXUS66 KOTX 151756 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 1056 AM PDT Mon Jul 15 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Monday won`t be quite as hot as it was over the weekend, but high temperatures will still be eight to ten degrees above average. There will be a 10 to 15 percent chance of dry thunderstorms on Wednesday with the arrival of an upper level disturbance. Widespread upper 90s and triple digit temperatures are likely Wednesday through the weekend as our hot July continues. && .DISCUSSION... Today through next Sunday: Today will be the `coolest` day for the next week, with highs in the 90s to low 100s. Winds will increase again this afternoon, with gusts of 15 to 20 mph across the Columbia Basin. As the ridge builds in Tuesday, temperatures will start to warm, increasing by 2-3 degrees each day through Saturday. Models are hinting at a shortwave sliding through Tuesday that could lead to a couple thunderstorms but confidence is not high. We`ll keep an eye on this system and see how it progresses through the next 24 hours. Wednesday brings the next forecast change, with a wave passing over beginning early Wednesday, moving northeast through the CWA. With elevated moisture, how dry the airmass is at the lower levels and how high the cloud bases will, there is a concern for regionwide dry lightning. MUCAPE is also showing 400 to 700 J/kg, enough energy to pop thunderstorms across the region. This wave will move into the far southwest corner of the CWA by early morning, moving northeast as the day progresses. By late evening the threat will have moved to the northern mountains in the far northeast corner of WA and ID Panhandle. Isolated dry thunderstorms has been add to the forecast for this threat. After our period of hot and dry conditions, fuels will be especially susceptible to ignition, so any lightning could begin fires. Thursday and Friday will be more relaxed weatherwise but temperatures wise, we will see an increase each day. As we reach Saturday, widespread 100 degree temperatures for the lower elevations, reaching towards record temperatures. Sunday is forecasted to be warmer than Saturday again by a could degrees. Nighttime lows will also warm each day with upper 60s to low 70s expected by Friday night. Areas along the Columbia River, Okanogan Valley, and LC Valley are forecasted to have lows only drop into the mid 70s, not cool enough if you rely on opening your house up at night to cool it off. If you have outdoor plans late this week into next weekend, plan for hot temperatures. /KM && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS: VFR conditions will prevail. Local reductions in visibility are possible near and downwind of Lake Chelan due to smoke from the Pioneer Fire. Breezy winds will occur this afternoon with the strongest winds in the lee of the Cascades. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence in VFR conditions. ----------------------- 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 64 93 60 97 65 100 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Coeur d`Alene 61 90 59 93 65 97 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pullman 58 88 50 93 57 97 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Lewiston 68 99 66 103 72 106 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Colville 54 92 53 95 57 97 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Sandpoint 57 88 52 94 56 95 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Kellogg 64 87 62 92 68 97 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Moses Lake 60 98 61 100 66 102 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Wenatchee 68 97 68 100 73 102 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Omak 65 101 65 102 70 102 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...Heat Advisory until 10 PM PDT this evening for Central Panhandle Mountains-Coeur d`Alene Area-Idaho Palouse-Lewis and Southern Nez Perce Counties-Lewiston Area-Northern Panhandle. WA...Heat Advisory until 10 PM PDT this evening for Central Chelan County-Lower Garfield and Asotin Counties-Moses Lake Area- Northeast Mountains-Okanogan Highlands-Okanogan Valley- Spokane Area-Upper Columbia Basin-Washington Palouse- Waterville Plateau-Wenatchee Area-Western Okanogan County. && $$