Orondo, Washington Weather Forecast Discussion

201
FXUS66 KOTX 182312
AFDOTX
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
412 PM PDT Thu Sep 18 2025
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Warm and dry through the end of the week.
- Sunday cold front to deliver breezy to windy conditions and a
  chance of mainly mountain showers.
&&
.SYNOPSIS...
High pressure over the region will bring warm and dry
conditions through the work week. Unsettled weather returns this
weekend with breezy winds and a chance of mainly mountain
showers.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Thursday and Friday: Winds will pick up through the Cascade gaps
Thursday evening as a weak shortwave trough nears the Cascades,
tightening the cross-Cascade pressure gradient. With several large
wildfires continuing to burn in the Cascades, an increase in
wildfire activity due to the breezy winds will be something to watch
out for. Friday will bring another day of above normal temperatures
in the mid to upper 80s and mostly clear skies under a ridge of high
pressure.
Saturday: Saturday will be our final day of temperatures in the 80s
as a more robust trough approaches from the west. Southwesterly pre-
frontal winds start to pick up Saturday afternoon mixing dry air
down to the surface and dropping humidities into the teens. With the
combination of breezy winds and low humidities, elevated fire
weather conditions are expected for portions of the Okanogan Valley,
upper Columbia Basin, and Spokane area Saturday afternoon and
evening.
Sunday: Heading into Sunday, the upper level trough will move inland
over British Columbia sending a cold front swinging through the
Pacific and Inland Northwest. With the cold front will come a band
of moisture bringing chances for rain mainly over the Cascade Crest
and ID Panhandle. Strong westerly flow will keep a large portion of
Central and Eastern WA in a rain shadow. In addition to the rain,
winds will increase further on Sunday with the NBMv5.0 giving a 70
percent chance of gusts exceeding 40 mph over the Waterville Plateau
and along the east slopes of the Cascades. The NBM 50th percentile
is showing gusts near 35 mph for Wenatchee, the Spokane Airport, and
Pullman - similar to what has been shown the past few model runs.
With winter wheat in the process of being planted, blowing dust will
be something to look out for across portions of Central and Eastern
WA. As far as temperatures, Sunday will be cooler with high
temperatures only rising into the upper 60s to mid 70s, and dry air
moving in behind the cold front will allow overnight lows to get
quite chilly as well Sunday night into Monday. For some of the
region`s colder spots including Republic, Deer Park, Colville, and
Winthrop, lows will likely fall into the 30s for the first time
this season.
Monday through Wednesday: Cooler temperatures will be short-lived,
as a large majority of ensembles have been consistent in showing a
ridge of high pressure building back in over the area bringing a
return of warmer and drier conditions. According to the NBM, high
temperatures will rise into the low 80s again by Tuesday and
Wednesday, around 10 degrees above normal for late September. Those
of us who prefer sweater weather will have to patiently endure the
heat for a while longer it seems. /Fewkes
&&
.AVIATION...
00Z TAFS: High pressure over the region will deliver clear
skies and light terrain driven winds through the forecast
period.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence
in VFR conditions for TAF sites through the forecast period.
-----------------------
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        55  86  55  84  56  69 /   0   0   0   0  10  30
Coeur d`Alene  55  86  56  85  56  69 /   0   0   0   0  10  40
Pullman        52  84  52  82  55  67 /   0   0   0   0  10  30
Lewiston       60  88  60  89  61  74 /   0   0   0   0  10  30
Colville       44  85  44  84  44  69 /   0   0   0   0  20  50
Sandpoint      50  83  50  82  50  67 /   0   0   0   0  10  50
Kellogg        59  84  59  82  58  66 /   0   0   0   0  10  50
Moses Lake     53  87  52  86  55  74 /   0   0   0   0  10  20
Wenatchee      60  86  59  87  60  72 /   0   0   0   0  30  30
Omak           55  86  54  86  56  75 /   0   0   0   0  30  20
&&
.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...None.
ID...None.
&&
$$

NWS OTX Office Area Forecast Discussion