FXUS66 KOTX 091201 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 501 AM PDT Thu Jul 9 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Elevated fire weather conditions through the weekend. - Breezy winds through the Cascade gaps Thursday and Friday each afternoon and evening. - Breezy winds become more widespread Saturday afternoon with the strongest winds down the Okanogan Valley. - Warming trend early next week. && .SYNOPSIS... Elevated fire weather conditions will continue through the weekend due to low humidity and breezy winds. A broad ridge building over the west-central U.S. early next week will bring warming temperatures across the Inland Northwest. && .DISCUSSION... Thursday through Saturday: The region remains under zonal flow aloft through early Friday. Onshore flow into western WA will tighten the pressure gradient across the Cascades each afternoon and evening as cool marine air banks up against the mountains, resulting in recurring breezy westerly winds through the Cascade gaps. Relative humidity values will drop into the teens daily. Friday afternoon into Saturday, a low pressure system off the British Columbia coast shifts northeastward, placing the Inland Northwest under southwesterly flow and putting the region directly under the jet stream. This will generate more widespread breezy southwest winds. Saturday afternoon and evening, the Okanogan Valley looks like the primary area of concern with sustained winds around 20 mph and gusts of 35-40 mph coinciding with RH values in the low to mid teens. Thus, this area will have to be monitored for critical fire weather conditions. Sunday through Wednesday: A building ridge over the west-central U.S. broadens early next week, bringing a warming trend to the Inland Northwest. While confidence is growing that areas further east under the ridge axis will experience extreme heat under the ridge, temperatures across the Inland Northwest will see a more subtle increase Monday and Tuesday. Uncertainty increases by mid- week regarding the timing of the next Pacific low. A slower arrival would allow the ridge over the west-central U.S. to build further into our region, resulting in hotter temperatures, while a faster arrival would bring temperatures back down. The Climate Prediction Center is banking on a slower arrival, giving Eastern WA and North ID a 60-70 percent chance of seeing above normal temperatures in the 8-14 day outlook. The NBM isn't ready to fully commit to the hotter solution. The NBM maintains a large spread between 25th and 75th percentile temperatures. Spokane, for example, shows 25th percentile highs in the low 80s next Wednesday and Thursday, while the 75th percentile shows highs in the mid 90s. /Fewkes && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFs: VFR conditions will prevail over the next 24 hours. Breezy winds will persist through the Cascade gaps and down the Okanogan Valley including at KEAT and KOMK. Elsewhere, winds have subsided and will generally be 10kts or less through the period. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence for VFR conditions regionwide. ----------------------- 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 87 57 89 57 86 57 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Coeur d'Alene 85 57 88 58 85 59 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pullman 83 51 85 53 84 53 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lewiston 92 60 94 61 93 62 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Colville 87 55 88 55 86 53 /0 0 0 0 0 0 Sandpoint 84 58 87 58 85 59 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kellogg 82 55 87 57 84 58 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Moses Lake 91 57 91 56 88 56 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wenatchee 90 63 89 61 86 60 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Omak 92 58 91 57 88 54 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...None. ID...None. && $$