Samuels, Idaho Weather Forecast Discussion

798
FXUS66 KOTX 241157
AFDOTX
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
457 AM PDT Wed Sep 24 2025
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Warm temperatures Wednesday and Thursday.
- Elevated to Critical Fire Weather Conditions Thursday due to
  dry, breezy conditions.
&&
.SYNOPSIS...
Dry and warm conditions will continue into Thursday with high
temperatures in the 80s. Dry and breezy conditions are expected
Thursday, leading to elevated to critical fire weather
conditions, with temperatures dropping back into the 70s
Friday. Chances for rain return late in the weekend into early
next week.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Wednesday: Wednesday morning won`t be quite as chilly as Tuesday
morning with only the coldest northeastern valleys expected to drop
into the mid 30s primarily along US-395 from Colville south to
Springdale. Isolated locations in these valleys could see an hour or
two of frost and/or fog development early in the morning, though
coverage will be lesser than on Tuesday morning. For the afternoon,
temperatures will rise into the 80s as the region remains under the
influence of a ridge of high pressure.
Thursday: A robust cold front will sweep through the Inland
Northwest bringing gusty west winds and leaving a very dry airmass
in its wake. Sustained wind speeds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts of 30
to 40 mph are anticipated through the Cascade gaps, over the
Waterville Plateau, and across the Columbia Basin Thursday afternoon
and evening. Behind the cold front, RHs will drop into the teens.
There is high confidence in wind speeds and RH values meeting the
thresholds for critical fire weather conditions. Thus, a Fire
Weather Watch has been issued for Thursday afternoon and evening
covering the Cascades, Columbia Basin, and Spokane area down to the
Blues. For western Chelan County, the watch is out through Friday
morning with poor RH recoveries in the forecast and strong winds
expected to linger. High temperatures Thursday will be 2 to 5
degrees cooler than on Wednesday in the upper 70s to mid 80s.
Friday through Monday: Weak ridging will redevelop Friday, then the
next trough moves in from offshore over the weekend and into early
next week. Following Thursday`s cold front, temperatures on Friday
will be around 10 degrees cooler in the upper 60s to mid 70s. Cloud
cover will gradually increase Friday night through Sunday as the
next trough nears the coast. Chances for showers move into the
Cascades Sunday, then expand eastward over the rest of the region
Sunday night into Monday. Temperatures will range from the mid 70s
to the low 80s Saturday through Monday.
Smoke and Haze: The Lower Sugarloaf and Labor Mountain fires in the
Cascades are expected to continue producing large amounts of smoke
that will impact air quality across the region. The WA Department of
Ecology has issued an Air Quality Alert until further notice and
will reassess conditions periodically. /Fewkes
&&
.AVIATION...
12Z TAFS: High pressure and drier air will bring generally VFR
conditions. Smoke from fires in the Cascades will continue to
impact visibility through Wednesday in Entiat, Wenatchee, and
Leavenworth. Visibility may drop as low as 1 mile at times,
especially during the morning and overnight hours.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS:
High confidence in VFR through Wednesday except KEAT where
degraded visibility is expected to continue from wildfire smoke.
JW
-----------------------
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:/weather.gov/otx/avndashboard
&&
.Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs...
Spokane        84  51  81  46  70  46 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Coeur d`Alene  83  52  81  47  70  46 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Pullman        83  49  80  44  67  42 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Lewiston       87  56  86  52  74  49 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Colville       81  40  80  34  71  36 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Sandpoint      79  53  80  47  68  46 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Kellogg        83  56  81  48  67  49 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Moses Lake     84  48  83  44  74  45 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Wenatchee      84  58  79  52  74  54 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Omak           84  54  80  45  74  51 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
&&
.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Fire Weather Watch from Thursday afternoon through Thursday
     evening for East Portion of North Cascades National
     Park/Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (Zone 697)-East
     Washington North Cascades (Zone 698)-Eastern Columbia
     Basin  -Palouse  -Spokane Area (Zone 708)-Foothills of
     Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705)-Lower Palouse  -
     Snake River (Zone 709)-Methow Valley (Zone 704)-Okanogan
     Valley (Zone 703)-Waterville Plateau (Zone 706)-Western
     Columbia Basin (Zone 707).
     Air Quality Alert until noon PDT Friday for Central Chelan
     County-Okanogan Highlands-Okanogan Valley-Waterville
     Plateau-Wenatchee Area-Western Chelan County-Western
     Okanogan County.
     Fire Weather Watch from Thursday afternoon through Friday
     morning for East Washington Central Cascades (Zone 696).
ID...None.
&&
$$

NWS OTX Office Area Forecast Discussion