FXUS66 KOTX 062110 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 210 PM PDT Wed May 6 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Isolated thunderstorms in far North Idaho late Wednesday afternoon and evening. - Gusty winds Wednesday afternoon and evening in Central Washington. - Widespread minor HeatRisk into next week. This level of heat primarily affects those who are sensitive to heat. - Dangerously cold water temperatures pose a high risk for cold water shock and hypothermia for anyone who unexpectedly falls in. Wear a life jacket if recreating on or near the water. && .SYNOPSIS... A prolonged period of above normal temperatures will continue into the middle of May. Conditions will be dry outside small chances for mountain showers and thunderstorms in the North Idaho Panhandle Wednesday. Winds will be gusty Wednesday and Friday, especially in Central Washington. && .DISCUSSION... Tonight: Instability will weaken through early evening hours for Northeast Washington and North Idaho. Any chance of thunderstorms will diminish by midnight. Winds will calm as cold front exits. Overnight lows will be in the upper 40s and low 50s. Thursday through Wednesday: The region will be influenced by an upper level ridge wedged between Lows over Central Canada and the Gulf of Alaska. The pattern will keep the Inland Northwest under warm, dry conditions through the weekend. Highs will be in the 70s to low 80s. Minor heat risk threat continues for those who are extremely sensitive to heat and not acclimated to the warmer temperatures this early in the season. Overnight lows will be in the upper 40s and 50s. Ensembles are swinging a dry cold front through the region on Friday. The main concern will be winds across the lee of the Cascade valleys, Columbia Basin, and Southeast Washington. Sustained winds will be west in the teens and low 20s mph. Gusts will be in the 30-40 mph (greater than or equal 50 percent probability). The ridge begins to flatten late Sunday into Monday as the Gulf of Alaska Low moves into BC. The region is not expected to see much change from the warm, dry conditions. Temperatures continue to remain above the season normal. Next chance of precip for the region is possible on Wednesday but confined to Northeast Washington and North Idaho. /JDC && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS: VFR conditions will prevail under mostly clear skies through the forecast period. Mid and high clouds will increase in the afternoon Wednesday with the arrival of a cold front. Isolated convection will impact far north Idaho around Bonners Ferry, ID with a 15% chance to expand as far south as Sandpoint, ID and 10% chance to develop over extreme Northeastern WA around Ione, WA. Lightning, downpours, and gusty winds will be possible with this activity between 22-03z. Winds will become gusty after 20z over the Palouse, Spokane Area, Columbia Basin, and East Slopes of the Cascades. Wind gusts will remain below 30 mph for Spokane, Pullman, and Lewiston and 30-35 mph around Waterville, Wenatchee, Ephrata, Moses Lake, and Chelan airports between 23-05z. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Moderate to high confidence for convection to remain in far North Idaho, lower confidence for cells to develop in extreme NE WA. Otherwise, VFR conditions prevail. ----------------------- 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 51 77 50 74 47 75 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Coeur d'Alene 50 73 49 70 46 72/ 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pullman 49 70 45 69 44 70 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lewiston 53 76 48 76 48 76 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Colville 47 82 48 76 44 80 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sandpoint 47 73 47 69 44 72 / 10 0 0 0 0 0 Kellogg 47 71 46 70 44 72 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Moses Lake 50 81 50 79 46 80 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wenatchee 53 82 53 76 49 81 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Omak 51 85 53 81 47 82 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...None. ID...None. && $$