FXUS66 KOTX 221122 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 422 AM PDT Sun Mar 22 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Hydrology: St Joe and Coeur d'Alene Rivers near bankfull with additional small rises into Sunday. Stehekin River is falling but levels still high - Next system: Unsettled weather returns Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing valley rain, mountain rain and snow, and breezy to windy conditions && .SYNOPSIS... Dry weather will continue through Monday with colder night temperatures. Unsettled weather is forecast to return Tuesday and Wednesday as the next low pressure system brings valley rain, mountain rain and snow, and breezy to windy conditions. A return to warm, dry conditions expected by weeks end. && .DISCUSSION... Today and Monday: The Inland Northwest will be on the periphery of the four corners high over Southwest US. It is bringing dry, warm conditions through Monday. High level stratus will pass through the region. A weakening gradient behind yesterdays system will lead to weaker winds. Highs will be in the 50s and low 60s. With clear skies, radiational cooling will be optimal overnight. Lows will dip into upper 20s and 30s for Sunday night. An incoming system will bring increasing clouds Monday night and keep lows in the 30s to low 40s. Tuesday and Wednesday: A low is currently off of California around -140 degree longitude. It will push a warm front into the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday followed by a quick cold front on Wednesday. Moisture associated with the system is expected to be around 200-250% of normal. NBM probabilities of precip amounts are around 50-80% for half an inch for the Idaho Panhandle. Extreme Eastern Washington is around 20-40% probability. The Cascade Crest has a 50% probability for one inch. The lowlands along the Cascades will struggle to reach a quarter of an inch. Rising snow levels will limit the snow amounts for mountain passes. Stevens could receive 3-6 inches through Wednesday. The 10-90% probability for Stevens Pass is 1-10 inches. Sherman and Lookout will struggle to get an inch. Winds will also be breezy with the passing system. Current NBM has gusts 20-30 mph. Some ensemble members have gusts reaching near 40 mph on Wednesday. Thursday through Sunday: The high pressure will build back into the region behind the exiting system. Precip chances will be near zero after Thursday morning. Highs will begin to climb into the upper 50s and 60s. Overnight lows will be in the upper 20s and 30s. /JDC && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS: VFR conditions will continue for all TAF sites through Sunday. Main threat for scattered low clouds will be along the Cascade Crest and within the Clearwater and St Joe River Valleys mainly through 16z. Steady southwest winds will gust to 15kts at times in the afternoon 19-01z at GEG-SFF. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence in VFR conditions for all TAF sites through 12z Monday. /sb ----------------------- 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 52 32 58 41 50 38 / 0 0 0 10 90 70 Coeur d'Alene 50 32 57 40 50 39 / 0 0 0 10 90 90 Pullman 50 34 56 43 52 40 / 0 0 0 10 90 80 Lewiston 55 37 60 45 56 45 / 0 0 0 10 80 80 Colville 55 31 58 38 50 35 / 0 0 0 10 100 70 Sandpoint 50 32 53 37 45 39 / 0 0 0 20 100 90 Kellogg 49 34 56 41 50 40 / 0 0 0 20 90 100 Moses Lake 59 32 60 43 56 39 / 0 0 0 10 70 30 Wenatchee 57 35 57 43 53 37 / 0 0 0 10 90 30 Omak 56 34 58 42 53 38 / 0 0 0 10 90 40 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...None. ID...None. && $$