FXUS66 KOTX 150524 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 1024 PM PDT Wed Oct 14 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Dry weather pattern through middle of next week. - Temperatures trend warmer through Friday, peaking in the mid 60s to mid 70s. - A cold front on Saturday will bring breezy to locally windy conditions and the potential for patchy blowing dust. && .SYNOPSIS... Dry conditions and light winds remain in the forecast through the end of the workweek with a ridge of high pressure positioned over the region. Temperatures trend warmer each day, peaking in the mid 60s to mid 70s on Friday. On Saturday breezy to windy conditions will occur, before lighter winds and seasonal temperatures to follow Sunday into the middle of next week. && .DISCUSSION... Today through Friday: A dry weather pattern will dominate through Friday as an upper ridge builds over the region. The building ridge will allow for a gradual warming trend with high temperatures peaking on Friday in the mid 60s to mid 70s. Saturday and Sunday: The ridge flattens on Saturday as a quick moving cold front sweeps across the region. A combination of swift westerly flow, and the bulk of the moisture with this front in the low to mid levels of the atmosphere, will keep precipitation focused near the Cascade crest with dry weather for Central and Eastern Washington into the Idaho Panhandle. The cold front will result in breezy to locally windy conditions across the region especially the typical spots such as the East Slopes of the Cascades, Columbia Basin, West Plains, and Palouse. The NBM is carrying a 60-90 percent chance of wind gusts exceeding 30 MPH in these areas, with a 50-60 percent chance of gusts exceeding 40 MPH on the Waterville Plateau. Given the dry soils in the Columbia Basin can not rule out patchy blowing dust with the winds on Saturday. On Sunday as this front exits dry weather and light winds return. Cooler and drier air behind the front will allow for colder overnight lows Saturday Night, although typical for mid-October with readings mainly in the 30s. Monday through Wednesday: The next system approaches the region but then slides south of the region into California. Ensembles have come into good agreement with this idea with NBM now only carrying a 5-10 percent chance of showers for early next week. High temperatures also show little day to day change with readings in the upper 50s to mid 60s with is close to normal for this time of year. JW && .AVIATION... 06Z TAFS: VFR conditions will prevail through the TAF period with just a few passing high clouds through 06z Friday. Strengthening high pressure in the lee of the Rockies in NW Montana will lead to increasing easterly flow into Thursday morning, starting the earliest at KPUW prior to 12z. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence for VFR conditions through 00Z Friday for all TAF sites. ----------------------- 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 37 65 39 70 43 64 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Coeur d'Alene 37 65 38 68 41 64 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pullman 37 65 40 69 43 65 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lewiston 40 67 41 73 44 72 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Colville 33 67 32 68 35 66 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sandpoint 34 63 35 65 38 62 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kellogg 37 64 38 69 41 63 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Moses Lake 37 71 39 69 38 69 / 0 0 00 0 0 Wenatchee 47 69 45 68 48 66 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Omak 41 69 39 68 41 67 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...None. ID...None. && $$