Freeze Warning 3, NWS Spokane, WA

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
108 PM PDT Fri Apr 24 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Gusty north winds continue down the Okanogan Valley through
  Friday.

- Chilly overnight temperatures with sensitive vegetation
  susceptible to frost and freeze damage through Saturday
  morning.

&&

.SYNOPSIS...
Aside from mountain showers, dry conditions and partly cloudy
skies will prevail through the weekend. Overnight lows will
trend colder with temperatures dropping below freezing through
Saturday night for much of the region. Temperatures start to
slowly moderate into next week. A passing weather system early
next week will bring a better chance for scattered showers
across much of the region Monday.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
This afternoon through Saturday: The Inland NW will remain in a
dry northerly flow on the backside of the broad central Canada
low. This will provide only limited clouds and limited shower
chances. A field of cumulus clouds over the Idaho Panhandle into
southeast WA are expected to dissipate with the loss of
heating, increasing again Saturday afternoon. Shower chances
this evening will be limited to primarily the lower portions of
Shoshone County, though I cannot rule out a sprinkle near the
other mountains. Other shower chances pop-up again across the ID
Panhandle mountains Saturday afternoon. The dry northerly flow
is very pronounced in the breezy northerly flow down through the
Okanogan Valley into the western basin, especially looking at
the lower level WV channel on satellite. Relative humidity
values are in the teens to lower 20s in much of the area, except
southeast WA into the ID Panhandle. The winds over the Okanogan
Valley southward will subside through the evening, though they
will not go calm. Lows tonight under the dry atmosphere and
declining winds will are expected to drop to 20s to mid-30s.
Freeze warnings are in place for the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley
and Moses Lake zone tonight into early Saturday morning and a
frost advisory is in place for the Wenatchee area which could
see lows near the lower to mid-30s. For Saturday night to Sunday
AM, lows are not projected to be as cold but we will have to
keep an eye on it. Highs will be in the 50s to lower 60s, with
lower 60s in the deeper basin.

Sunday to Monday: A little more moisture comes back, with PWATs
rising back to around 100% of normal, while a shortwave pivots
around the backside of the Central Canada low and moves into our
region. This will bring increasing rain and snow shower
chances. First on Sunday chances come to the Cascades and ID
Panhandle and NE WA mountains, spilling out toward toward the
central/southern WA/ID border. A small risk for t-storms will be
found near the NE mountains Sunday PM. The overall shower risk
wanes some at night. Then Monday the potential increases again,
expanding to more over eastern WA this time. There is also some
increases CAPE and lapse rates for Monday afternoon, bringing a
chance for t-storms over southeast WA and the central and
southern ID Panhandle and a lingering risk over the NE
mountains. Overall precipitation amounts look light and any snow
that might fall is expected to be of little to no impact. Highs
will be in the 50s and 60s and lows will be in the 30s to
mid-40s.

Tuesday to Friday: The Inland NW will remain in northerly flow
but starts to transition to a milder pattern Central Canada low
starts to move out. However the details of how that atmosphere
looks and how the next shortwave approaches has poorer agreement
in the ensembles toward the middle to latter part of the next
week. Shower chances linger around the mountains Tuesday and
again Wednesday, before drier weather Thursday and Friday.
Temperatures warm into the 60s and lower 70s by Wednesday and
the upper 60s and 70s Thursday and Friday. /Solveig&&

.AVIATION...
18Z TAFS: VFR conditions expected at TAF sites.  Breezy
northerly winds from the Okanogan Valley into the western
Columbia Basin, including near KOMK and KMWH with gusts
of 20-30kts, gradually declining after 23Z-04Z.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS:
High confidence for VFR conditions. Brief higher gusts near
15-20kts possible Friday afternoon at GEG/SFF/COE/PUW/EAT, but
low confidence.

-----------------------

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        30  56  33  57  36  59 /   0   0   0  10  10  20
Coeur d'Alene  28  54  33  55  36  56 /   0  10   0  20  10  20
Pullman        26  54  30  55  35  56 /   0  10   0  10  10  30
Lewiston       32  58  36  59  38  60 /   0   0   0  10   0  20
Colville       25  59  33  60  32  62 /   0  10   0  20  10  10
Sandpoint      28  53  31  52  33  54 /   0  10  10  30  20  20
Kellogg        28  52  31  53  34  55 /   0  20   0  40  20  40
Moses Lake     30  61  34  64  40  66 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Wenatchee      36  61  38  62  42  64 /   0   0   0  10  10   0
Omak           32  61  34  62  38  65 /   0   0   0  10   0   0

&&

.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Freeze Warning from midnight tonight to 8 AM PDT Saturday for
     Lower Garfield and Asotin Counties-Moses Lake Area.
     Frost Advisory from midnight tonight to 8 AM PDT Saturday for
     Wenatchee Area.
ID...Freeze Warning from midnight tonight to 8 AM PDT Saturday for
     Lewiston Area.

&&