Areal Flood Warning 2, NWS Spokane, WA

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
1024 AM PDT Fri Mar 30 2012

.SYNOPSIS...
An active and wet storm pattern will continue over the region
through next week. Mountain snow and valley rain will be
common...with snow levels briefly dropping to valley floors during
the early morning hours near the Cascades and across much of the
region on Sunday and Monday. Widespread significant rainfall will
cause smaller streams to reach bank full and possibly flood over
far eastern Washington and north Idaho.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A broad band of steady rain continues to track across the
southeast half of the forecast area this morning. The automated
observation site at KPUW recorded a quarter inch of rainfall in
the last 3 hours. Area creeks and small streams continue to run
high and the flooding threat will increase across the Palouse and
Central Idaho Panhandle valleys today. Numerous flood
watch/warn/advisory products have been issued and will likely
continue to be in effect through the next few days. No major
changes to the forecast for this update. The main adjustment was
to QPF for the valleys in the northwest portion of the forecast
area where rainfall has been very light. The area of precipitation
will eventually pivot to the north, but not until late today. Max
temperatures will remain on the cool side today with the abundance
of clouds and precipitation in the area. The main focus today
will be on hydrology as area rivers respond to the ample rainfall.
/Kelch

&&

.AVIATION...
18z TAFS: Rain will impact all TAF sites through much of this
period as sub-tropical moisture plume remains poised over the
region. Cigs and vsbys will generally remain in the VFR
category...however brief MVFR cigs are possible during heavier
episodes of precipitation. Farther west, KEAT and KMWH will be on
the northwest edge of the precipitation shield and while -SHRA
will be possible through early afternoon, VFR conditions will
prevail. A greater threat will redevelop between 03-06z as the
moisture moves back north. Precipitation should be rain, even in
KEAT area as models have backed off on the colder temps. /EK

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Spokane        51  38  51  33  43  31 /  90  80  90  60  50  30
Coeur d'Alene  50  37  52  33  44  31 / 100  80 100  70  60  40
Pullman        52  39  53  35  42  31 / 100  80 100  60  60  40
Lewiston       58  41  60  40  49  33 /  90  90  90  70  40  20
Colville       53  36  49  35  48  30 /  80  60 100 100  60  40
Sandpoint      50  34  49  35  42  31 / 100  70 100 100  70  60
Kellogg        46  35  51  32  39  30 / 100 100 100 100  80  60
Moses Lake     56  39  52  36  53  32 /  60  70  80  20  20  20
Wenatchee      52  37  48  36  50  34 /  60  60  80  20  20  20
Omak           53  35  43  33  50  31 /  60  40 100  20  40  20

&&

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

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
627 AM PDT FRI MAR 30 2012

IDZ001>004-026-027-WAZ031>033-036>038-311330-
NORTHERN PANHANDLE-COEUR D'ALENE AREA-IDAHO PALOUSE-
CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS-LEWISTON AREA-
LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES-NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS-
LOWER GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTIES-WASHINGTON PALOUSE-
SPOKANE AREA-NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS-OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS-
627 AM PDT FRI MAR 30 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH IDAHO...
NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON...NORTHEAST
WASHINGTON AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

PERIODS OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TODAY INTO
TONIGHT WHILE SNOW LEVELS GENERALLY RANGE FROM 4000 TO 5000 FEET.
THIS WILL RESULT IN MORE RUNOFF INTO THE ALREADY SWOLLEN SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS. AN AREAL FLOOD ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR
THE AREA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THE THREAT OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WILL LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH
EARLY SUNDAY WITH ELEVATED SNOW LEVELS. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO
THREATEN THE REGION WITH MINOR FLOODING AND POSSIBLE MUD SLIDES
OR DEBRIS FLOWS. AREAL FLOOD ADVISORIES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
SUNDAY. COOLER AND SLIGHTLY DRIER WEATHER WILL ARRIVE BY THE
BEGINNING OF THE WORK WEEK.

WAZ034-035-041-043-044-311330-
MOSES LAKE AREA-UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN-WENATCHEE AREA-
OKANOGAN VALLEY-WATERVILLE PLATEAU-
627 AM PDT FRI MAR 30 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
WASHINGTON...EAST CENTRAL WASHINGTON AND NORTH CENTRAL
WASHINGTON.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

WAZ042-311330-
EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES-
627 AM PDT FRI MAR 30 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
WASHINGTON.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT LOCATIONS NEAR THE
CASCADE CREST. THIS WILL BRING WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS TO THE
MOUNTAIN PASSES. LATE TONIGHT SNOW LEVELS COULD BRIEFLY FALL TO
THE VALLEY FLOORS BRINGING MINOR ACCUMULATIONS TO UPPER PORTIONS
OF THE METHOW AND WENATCHEE VALLEYS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

WET AND UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL LIKELY PERSIST INTO THE WEEKEND.
THE THREAT OF VALLEY SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE EARLY
MORNING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS. MOUNTAIN PASSES WILL REMAIN SUBJECT
TO PERIODS OF WINTER DRIVING. THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL TURN COOLER
AND SLIGHTLY DRIER BY THE BEGINNING OF THE WORK WEEK.