Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Spokane, WA

802 
WWUS86 KOTX 201124
RFWOTX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Spokane WA
424 AM PDT Sat Jun 20 2026

...WARM, DRY, AND WINDY ON SATURDAY WITH COLD FRONT PASSAGE...

WAZ703-210600-
/O.CON.KOTX.FW.W.0002.260620T1800Z-260621T0600Z/
Okanogan Valley (Zone 703)-
424 AM PDT Sat Jun 20 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO
11 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONE 703...

* Affected Area: Okanogan Valley (Zone 703).

* Winds: North 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.

* Relative Humidities: 16 to 23 percent.

* Impacts: Rapid fire spread is likely with any new or ongoing 
  fires. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now....or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.

&&

$$

WAZ705>707-210600-
/O.CON.KOTX.FW.W.0002.260620T2200Z-260621T0600Z/
Foothills of Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705)-
Waterville Plateau (Zone 706)-Western Columbia Basin (Zone 707)-
424 AM PDT Sat Jun 20 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
11 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONES 705, 706, AND 707...

* Affected Area: Foothills of Central Washington Cascades (Zone 
  705), Waterville Plateau (Zone 706) and Western Columbia Basin 
  (Zone 707).

* Winds: West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.

* Relative Humidities: 12 to 22 percent.

* Impacts: Rapid fire spread is likely with any new or ongoing 
  fires. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now....or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.

&&

$$

091 
WWUS86 KOTX 210554
RFWOTX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Spokane WA
1054 PM PDT Sat Jun 20 2026

WAZ703-705>707-210700-
/O.CAN.KOTX.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-260621T0600Z/
Okanogan Valley (Zone 703)-
Foothills of Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705)-
Waterville Plateau (Zone 706)-Western Columbia Basin (Zone 707)-
1054 PM PDT Sat Jun 20 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 703, 705, 706, AND 707...

The National Weather Service in Spokane has cancelled the Red
Flag Warning.

Relative humidities have risen above critical levels.

$$

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
1046 AM PDT Fri Jun 19 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Warm temperatures and dry conditions continue. Tuesday and
  Wednesday next week will be our warmest days over the next
  week with highs in the upper 80s to mid 90s.

- A cold front will bring dry and breezy to windy conditions on
  Saturday, particularly over central Washington with critical
  fire weather conditions possible.

&&

.SYNOPSIS...
Today will be warm and dry. A cold front will then brush across
the region on Saturday and bring breezy to gusty winds across
central Washington and a return for increased fire weather
concerns. Little to no precipitation is expected through the
middle of next week. Warm temperatures and dry conditions
continue into next week.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
HOT, DRY AND BREEZY CONDITIONS SATURDAY...

Today through Sunday: Friday will be another warm dry day
similar to Thursday. Highs will be in the 80s to low 90s.
HeatRisk will range from minor to moderate across the Basin and
through the Okanogan Valley. Overnight lows will be in the 50s
to low 60s. A Low is expected to slide down the BC coastline
through the day and overnight. It will move through the Southern
BC on Saturday. Ensembles have decent agreement on the timing
and track of the Low. It will swing a dry cold front through the
region. It will bring another period of gusty winds. Highest
winds will be through the Okanogan Valley and the western
Columbia Basin including Wenatchee and Moses Lake. These areas
have probabilities of 50-70 percent for sustained winds above 20
mph and gusts above 35 mph. Minimum humidity will be in the
teens to low 20 percent. These conditions are leading to
heightened fire weather concerns for Saturday. The front will
bring slightly cooler temps for Saturday and Sunday with highs a
few degrees cooler than Friday. The only chance for precip for
the region will be on Sunday and over the extreme North Idaho
Panhandle. A trace to couple of hundredths are only expected.
HeatRisk will be mainly minor through the weekend.

Monday through Friday: For the start of next week, models are in
fairly decent agreement of high pressure ridge leading to a
stable warm, dry pattern. Temperatures climb back into the upper
80s and 90s. Wednesday has breezy winds through the Cascade
Gaps as a thermal trough sets up along the Cascades. Toward the
end of the week, models start to diverge. The deterministic GFS
brings a low with increased precip chances late Wednesday into
the Thursday. The EC keeps the ridge in place. Ensemble clusters
do show the ridge pattern weakening on Thursday with increased
precip chances and cooler temperatures for the end of the week.
/JDC

&&

.AVIATION...
18Z TAFs: Some smoke or haze may be observed with active fires
in the region, particularly in north-central Washington between
KMWH and KOMK today. Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail
today into Saturday under periods of mid-to-upper level
cloudiness. Winds will generally be light today; winds will
become breezy on Saturday with a cold front brushing the region.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence
in VFR conditions at all terminals through the forecast period.
Low confidence in smoke/haze impacts to KSFF due to the nearby
Upriver Fire. /KD

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

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        85  54  86  54  82  53 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Coeur d'Alene  84  56  84  53  80  53 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Pullman        84  52  80  50  79  48 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Lewiston       91  60  89  56  86  56 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Colville       87  52  84  50  82  48 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Sandpoint      82  53  82  51  77  50 /   0   0   0   0  10   0
Kellogg        84  54  81  52  77  51 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Moses Lake     91  58  89  56  87  57 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Wenatchee      90  64  86  59  86  62 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Omak           90  57  86  57  85  56 /   0   0   0   0   0   0

&&

.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Fire Weather Watch from Saturday morning through Saturday
     evening for Foothills of Central Washington Cascades
     (Zone 705)-Okanogan Valley (Zone 703)-Waterville Plateau
     (Zone 706)-Western Columbia Basin (Zone 707).
ID...None.

&&