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Next 12 Hours

Forecast data from the National Digital Forecast Database.

5 Day Forecast

• Thursday
• 
• High: 55 °
• Low: 43 °
• Chance of T-Storms

• Friday
• 
• High: 61 °
• Low: 37 °
• Chance of T-Storms

• Saturday
• 
• High: 72 °
• Low: 45 °
• Chance of a Thunderstorm

• Sunday
• 
• High: 75 °
• Low: 48 °
• Partly Cloudy

• Monday
• 
• High: 70 °
• Low: 48 °
• Chance of Rain

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
235 AM PDT Thu Jun 20 2013

.SYNOPSIS...
Cool and rainy conditions will be common across the region again
today with the heaviest rainfall amounts concentrated across
portions of the Idaho Panhandle and northeastern Washington. The
rain will gradually subside late Friday with a drying and warming
trend expected briefly this weekend. Another period of wet and
cool weather will arrive as early as Sunday afternoon and persist
through much of next week.



&&

.DISCUSSION...

...PERSISTENT BAND OF MODERATE RAIN TODAY FOR THE IDAHO PANHANDLE MAY
CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING AND MUD SLIDES...

Today and Tonight...Steady rain continues to fall across the Inland 
Northwest as the region remains under a very slow-moving low 
pressure center. The good news is that the area of heavier rainfall 
has drifted south of where it was 24 hours ago. This will give 
rivers and streams across extreme NE Washington and northern 
panhandle of Idaho a bit of a breather today. As of 2 am PDT the 
most persistent area of moderate rain was across the central portion
of the forecast area, along Interstate 90 in Idaho and highway 2
west of Spokane, as far as Grand Coulee. Rainfall rates have been
around a tenth of an inch a hour with this broad band, so flooding
concerns have lessened a bit. Models do not have a handle on the
rain across the eastern basin. Radar imagery shows this area
pushing south as the low pivots over the forecast area. If this
southern movement continues, we will be in better shape as far as
hydro concerns, since all models show the deformation band moving
back into the northeast as a secondary low center separates from
the main low and circles to the northeast this afternoon and
tonight. This will once again bring the focus of the steady rain
into the northeast zones. The areal flood advisory will remain in
effect through the day to take this into account. Over the next 24
hours we should see an additional quarter to half inch for a wide
swath of the forecast area with around three quarters to an inch
for the northeast mountains. Less than a quarter inch will fall
over the Wenatchee area and Waterville Plateau.

Even better news is that rainfall amounts over the central 
Washington burn scars should continue to be low. The Wenatchee, 
Entiat and Chelan areas have yet to received any heavy rain and 
model qpf continues to be light. 

Daytime temperatures will continue to be well below seasonal normals 
with mild readings for the overnight period. /Kelch


Friday through Wednesday: We generally followed a blend between
the GFS and ECMWF as far as timing and strength of the multiple
short-wave troughs that will move into and through the Pac Nw in
the extended range of the fcst. The biggest challenge will be pcpn
amnts Fri and Fri Nt. We may be seeing round two as far as another
shot at getting heavier pcpn amnts Fri through Sat morning. Round
one is currently on-going and tied to the upper low nearly
stationary over the region, containing a marked trowal structure
for banding of heavier pcpn. But even though the second feature
Fri/Fri Nt has a similar origin (wrapping around the filling low
over Montana) it will lack the deep moisture fetch and instability
to generate widespread heavy pcpn rates. But with the ground close
to saturation for many areas of NE WA and the N ID Panhandle, it
won't take much additional rain to prolong the small stream flood
threat. The wet pattern will continue with NW flow wave number
three brushing extreme NE WA and the N ID Panhandle Saturday.
Though we do expect a pattern change by Monday, it will be a
rather moist SW flow with no less than three quick-moving waves
moving into the Pac NW; the first Mon, the second Tue, and the
third Wed. This SW fetch of moisture will certainly play a role in
keeping streams high but, as mentioned above, it is these early to
mid week periods that have the most disagreements between model
guidance. /bz


&&

.AVIATION...
06Z TAFS: The upper level trough will push north across the region
tonight into tomorrow. Stratiform rain will fill in across the
region tonight with MVFR/IFR cigs expected through at least
Thursday morning at the KGEG, KSFF and KCOE taf sites. Conditions
are expected to improve during the afternoon, with VFR conditions
possible after 21Z; however, KCOE may remain at MVFR category
right through the afternoon hours as well. /SVH




&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Spokane        55  46  61  46  70  50 /  90  60  70  20  10   0 
Coeur d'Alene  54  44  60  45  69  48 / 100  70  70  40  20  10 
Pullman        60  44  60  43  69  47 /  60  50  50  50  10  10 
Lewiston       67  48  67  50  76  54 /  50  30  50  40  10   0 
Colville       56  47  65  45  73  47 / 100  90  70  20  20  10 
Sandpoint      52  45  57  46  67  45 / 100  90  80  50  30  10 
Kellogg        53  42  56  44  65  47 / 100  70  70  60  30  20 
Moses Lake     68  50  69  49  79  55 /  60  30  30  10   0  10 
Wenatchee      67  51  68  52  78  59 /  50  40  30  10   0  10 
Omak           61  49  69  49  77  52 /  80  60  50  10  10  10 

&&

.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...None.
WA...None.
&&

$$