Red Flag Warning 4, NWS Spokane, WA

263 
WWUS86 KOTX 040841
RFWOTX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Spokane WA
141 AM PDT Sat Jul 4 2026

...DRY, WINDY CONDITIONS SATURDAY...

WAZ702>707-050400-
/O.CON.KOTX.FW.W.0004.260704T2000Z-260705T0400Z/
Colville Reservation (Zone 702)-Okanogan Valley (Zone 703)-
Methow Valley (Zone 704)-
Foothills of Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705)-
Waterville Plateau (Zone 706)-Western Columbia Basin (Zone 707)-
141 AM PDT Sat Jul 4 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
9 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE
WEATHER ZONES 702, 703, 705, 706, AND 707...

* Affected Area: Colville Reservation (Zone 702), Okanogan 
  Valley (Zone 703), Methow Valley (Zone 704), Foothills of 
  Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705), Waterville Plateau 
  (Zone 706) and Western Columbia Basin (Zone 707).

* Winds: West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

* Relative Humidities: 13 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.

&&

$$

WAZ709-050300-
/O.CON.KOTX.FW.W.0004.260704T2000Z-260705T0300Z/
Lower Palouse - Snake River (Zone 709)-
141 AM PDT Sat Jul 4 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
8 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE
WEATHER ZONE 709...

* Affected Area: Lower Palouse  -Snake River (Zone 709).

* Winds: West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* Relative Humidities: 14 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.

&&

$$

294 
WWUS86 KOTX 050237
RFWOTX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Spokane WA
737 PM PDT Sat Jul 4 2026

...DRY, WINDY CONDITIONS SATURDAY...

WAZ709-050345-
/O.EXP.KOTX.FW.W.0004.000000T0000Z-260705T0300Z/
Lower Palouse - Snake River (Zone 709)-
737 PM PDT Sat Jul 4 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND
AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 709...

Winds have subsided and Red Flag conditions are no longer expected.

$$

WAZ702>707-050400-
/O.CON.KOTX.FW.W.0004.000000T0000Z-260705T0400Z/
Colville Reservation (Zone 702)-Okanogan Valley (Zone 703)-
Methow Valley (Zone 704)-
Foothills of Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705)-
Waterville Plateau (Zone 706)-Western Columbia Basin (Zone 707)-
737 PM PDT Sat Jul 4 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING
FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 702,
703, 704, 705, 706, AND 707...

* Affected Area: Colville Reservation (Zone 702), Okanogan 
  Valley (Zone 703), Methow Valley (Zone 704), Foothills of 
  Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705), Waterville Plateau 
  (Zone 706) and Western Columbia Basin (Zone 707).

* Winds: West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* Relative Humidities: 11 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.

&&

$$

693 
WWUS86 KOTX 050347
RFWOTX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Spokane WA
847 PM PDT Sat Jul 4 2026

...LOCALLY ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT ACROSS 
CENTRAL AND EASTERN WASHINGTON...

The Red Flag Warning for portions of central and eastern 
Washington will expire at 9PM this evening. Breezy winds will 
likely continue through 11PM through the Cascade Gaps, with light 
to modest northerly winds continuing into Sunday morning down 
Okanogan Valley and into the Waterville Plateau. While Red Flag 
conditions are not expected, with only poor to fair relative 
humidity recoveries overnight, elevated fire weather conditions 
will likely persist in these areas.

WAZ702>707-050500-
/O.EXP.KOTX.FW.W.0004.000000T0000Z-260705T0400Z/
Colville Reservation (Zone 702)-Okanogan Valley (Zone 703)-
Methow Valley (Zone 704)-
Foothills of Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705)-
Waterville Plateau (Zone 706)-Western Columbia Basin (Zone 707)-
847 PM PDT Sat Jul 4 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND
AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 702, 703, 704,
705, 706, AND 707...

Winds are beginning to subside with relative humidities starting
to rise. Red Flag Warning conditions are no longer expected. 
Elevated fire weather conditions will persist overnight in some 
areas.

$$

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
415 AM PDT Fri Jul 3 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Elevated fire weather concerns for Independence Day with breezy
winds and low humidity Saturday afternoon and early evening. Locally
critical conditions possible in Central Washington.

- Moderate HeatRisk Monday and Tuesday with afternoon temperatures
in the 90s.

&&

.SYNOPSIS...
Temperatures warm back into the 80s and low 90s over the holiday
weekend. Winds will pick up through the Cascade gaps in the evening
Friday. Dry and breezy conditions will be present regionwide on
Saturday, bringing elevated to critical fire weather concerns.
Widespread high temperatures in the 90s will be seen by early next
week.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Friday: Highs warm back into the 80s on Friday as a zonal flow
pattern sets up over the region. Persistent onshore flow will bring
a push of westerly winds through the Cascade gaps Friday evening
similar to the past couple of evenings.

Saturday (Independence Day): Temperatures will continue climbing
with highs rising into the mid 80s to low 90s on Saturday. A "cold"
frontal passage associated with a trough over British Columbia will
bring breezy to gusty winds and drier air with humidities falling
into the teens to low 20s regionwide. Expect westerly winds to pick
up Saturday afternoon and evening. The strongest winds will be
focused over Central WA including the Cascade foothills, Waterville
Plateau, southern Okanogan Valley, and Colville Reservation. For
these locations, expect sustained wind speeds of 15-25 mph and gusts
up to 40 mph. The warm, dry, and gusty conditions will bring
elevated to critical fire weather conditions for the Independence
Day holiday. Thus, Fire Weather Watches have been issued. Outside of
Central WA, the foothills of the Blue Mountains will also see winds
on the stronger side and will be monitored for potential expansion
of the Fire Weather Watch. For the eastern third of WA and the ID
Panhandle, winds will also pick up but will remain below critical
thresholds. Winds will subside for most areas by late Saturday
night. Exceptions will be the East Cascade slopes, Western Columbia
Basin, and Okanogan Valley where winds look to persist into Sunday
morning.

Sunday through Thursday: Warm and very dry conditions will continue
through much of next week. An amplifying ridge over the region will
send high temperatures into the 90s regionwide by Monday and
Tuesday. The next period to monitor will be Tuesday into Wednesday
when a trough headed our way will bring potential for another round
of dry, gusty winds. /Fewkes

&&

.AVIATION...
12Z TAFs: Bands of mid and high level clouds will pass through the
region through 12z Saturday.  VFR conditions will continue at all
TAF sites.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS:
High confidence for VFR conditions regionwide through 12z
Saturday. JW

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

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        82  54  85  53  85  53 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Coeur d'Alene  80  54  83  53  84  54 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Pullman        79  50  82  50  82  50 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Lewiston       88  58  91  59  90  59 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Colville       82  50  85  48  84  49 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Sandpoint      79  55  82  53  83  54 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Kellogg        78  52  81  52  81  53 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Moses Lake     87  55  90  54  89  55 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Wenatchee      86  61  87  59  88  63 /   0   0   0   0   0   0
Omak           86  58  89  54  87  56 /   0   0   0   0   0   0

&&

.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Fire Weather Watch from Saturday afternoon through Saturday
     evening for Colville Reservation (Zone 702)-Foothills of
     Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705)-Okanogan Valley
     (Zone 703)-Waterville Plateau (Zone 706)-Western Columbia
     Basin (Zone 707).
ID...None.

&&