FXUS66 KOTX 210552 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 1052 PM PDT Fri Mar 20 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Hydrology concerns: Rain on snow in the Cascades and Idaho Panhandle will lead to rises on creeks and streams through the weekend. - Cooling trend: A cold front tonight will drop temperatures by 10 to 15 degrees, bringing us back near seasonal averages for late March. - Next system: Unsettled weather returns Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing mountain snow and potential travel impacts over mountain passes. && .SYNOPSIS... Tonight will mark the start of a cooling and drying trend as a cold front pushes the current plume of moisture southeastward out of the region. This will bring a dry and seasonably cool weekend. Unsettled weather is forecast to return Tuesday and Wednesday as the next low pressure system brings mountain snow, lowland rain, and breezy winds. && .DISCUSSION... Tonight through Monday: The plume of moisture that has been directed at the Northwest the past few days will be pushed southeastward and out of the region overnight as a cold front moves in. One last band of precipitation will set up along the front tonight stretching from Southeast WA into the Central ID Panhandle before dry air moves in behind the front. Following the cold front passage, Saturday will feel noticeably cooler than today with afternoon highs in the 50s. Saturday night into Sunday morning will feature the coldest low temperatures of the week ahead. Clear skies and light winds will allow for efficient radiational cooling, dropping lows into the upper 20s to low 30s for most locations. Monday remains dry with a slight bump in temperatures as cloud cover increases ahead of the midweek system. Tuesday through Wednesday: Confidence is moderate for a return to unsettled weather by midweek as our next low pressure system moves in, though models still disagree on the strength and track of the system. Models are split between two scenarios. In the first scenario, a stronger, deeper low tracks through the region bringing more precipitation and higher wind speeds. In the second, the system is deflected to our north bringing less precipitation and lower speeds. Regardless of the track, snow levels will fall low enough to bring a return of mountain snow and wintry travel conditions to the mountain passes. Pass travelers should continue to monitor the forecast closely for this Tuesday-Wednesday time period. Thursday onward: Ensembles generally agree on a trend toward drier conditions to close out the week with temperatures remaining near seasonal averages. /Fewkes && .AVIATION... 06Z TAFS: An incoming cold front is pushing a band of moisture southeastward across the region, bringing a small chance for light rain at KGEG, KSFF, and KCOE for the next couple of hours. Better chances exist at KPUW and KLWS between 09-15Z. VFR conditions are expected except at KPUW where MVFR conditions are favorable with preciptiation. Skies are expected to clear from northwest to southeast through Saturday morning as drier air moves into the Inland Northwest. Winds will increase Saturday afternoon with gusts 20 to 30 knots mixing down to the surface. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Moderate confidence for MVFR conditions at KPUW with precipitation Saturday morning. High confidence for VFR conditions elsewhere. ----------------------- 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 42 54 30 50 32 54 / 40 10 0 0 0 0 Coeur d'Alene 42 54 30 50 31 54 / 70 20 0 0 0 0 Pullman 44 51 31 50 34 54 / 70 60 0 0 0 0 Lewiston 50 57 35 55 37 57 / 50 70 0 0 0 0 Colville 38 57 28 52 30 55 / 10 0 0 0 0 0 Sandpoint 41 51 30 47 31 51 / 70 30 0 0 0 0 Kellogg 43 51 32 48 33 54 / 90 60 0 0 0 0 Moses Lake 42 57 30 56 34 58 / 10 0 0 0 0 0 Wenatchee 39 52 32 53 34 56 / 10 0 0 0 0 0 Omak 38 54 31 52 32 54 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...None. ID...None. && $$