509 FXUS66 KOTX 052126 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 226 PM PDT Fri Jun 5 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Gusty winds leading to elevated fire weather conditions today. - Breezy with showers and thunderstorms Saturday. - Cooler Sunday into Monday with patchy frost across the northern mountain valleys. && .SYNOPSIS... Gusty west to southwest winds today. For the weekend, cooler and showery conditions return, with breezy to windy conditions. Cooler temperatures over the weekend with overnight lows Sunday and Monday into the 30s and 40s. Another round of showers expected middle of next week. && .DISCUSSION... Friday: The Gulf of Alaska low has started to move inland, bringing increasing cloud cover and cooling temperatures. A surface low ushered in a dry cold front, which has resulted in gusty winds regionwide. Most places will see wind gusts 25-30 mph, with localized wind gusts 35-40 mph along the Cascade gaps. Impacts from this include blowing objects and challenging driving conditions, especially for high profile vehicles. Additionally, any areas with freshly plowed fields have the potential to see blowing dust impacts. This will be closely monitored through the day. Low relative humidity values have also resulted in enhanced fire weather concerns, especially for any new fire starts in grassy areas. Saturday through Sunday: As the low continues to track through the state, temperatures on Saturday will be 5-10 degrees cooler than on Friday. These temperatures, low to mid 60s, are unseasonably cool for this time of year. 850mb temperatures along the Cascade crest will be cold enough to support light snow, though no accumulations are expected. Elsewhere, the precipitation type will be rain. PoPs have increased across the forecast area, especially southward. Areas that have the best chance of precipitation will be the Cascades and northern mountains, though a 10-20% chance for precipitation extends down to Spokane and Moses Lake. Steep lapse rates and 100-200 J/kg of CAPE will result in a chance for afternoon and evening thunderstorms along the Cascades and through the northern mountains down to Deer Park. Main impacts from these thunderstorms will be small hail, lightning, and gusty outflow winds up to 40 mph. Main impacts seen on Sunday will be seen very early in the morning with the risk for frost. Temperatures in the northern valleys early Sunday morning look to drop into the mid 30s. Frost headlines are becoming increasingly likely. Sensitive vegetation may be harmed by these colder temperatures. PoPs will be very limited on Sunday to the Idaho Panhandle, and there is a chance for afternoon and evening thunderstorms in the northern Panhandle. Monday through Wednesday: Another low pressure system will impact the area at the beginning of the next work week, and is expected to bring a round of widespread beneficial precipitation to the forecast area. Much of this rain will fall Tuesday into Wednesday. Temperatures will continue to trend a few degrees below normal. Long term models GFS/ECMWF support 100-200 J/kg of CAPE on Tuesday afternoon, increasing the chances for thunderstorms with these showers. We'll continue to monitor thunderstorm potential. Current precipitation estimates show the Columbia Basin seeing 0.1-0.2 inches of rain Tuesday through late Wednesday night, with deeper Basin areas seeing less at less than 0.10 inches. Mountain areas could receive up to 0.50 inches. /AS && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFs: VFR and dry conditions expected at all TAF sites with windy conditions. A dry cold front moving in from the west has brought increased winds to the region. Winds will peak around 20Z-03Z, with gusts 25-30kts, then begin decreasing after 03-04Z. Locally higher wind gusts near 35-40kts near the Cascade gaps. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence in VFR conditions. Moderate confidence in the timing of winds. /AS ----------------------- 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 45 63 40 65 42 67 / 0 20 20 0 0 20 Coeur d'Alene 46 61 41 62 42 66 / 0 20 20 10 0 20 Pullman 44 60 39 61 40 65 / 0 10 10 10 0 10 Lewiston 51 68 47 69 46 72 / 0 10 0 10 0 0 Colville 38 64 32 67 36 68 / 0 40 40 10 0 20 Sandpoint 44 60 38 60 40 65 / 0 20 30 30 0 20 Kellogg 46 59 41 59 40 67 / 0 20 20 30 0 10 Moses Lake 42 68 37 72 44 72 / 0 20 10 0 0 10 Wenatchee 48 65 45 71 51 70 / 0 10 10 0 0 20 Omak 43 65 38 71 44 71 / 0 60 10 0 0 20 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...None. ID...None. && $$