High Wind in Washington, March 19 to 20, 2002

EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON
830 PM PST MON MAR 18 2002

WILL CONCENTRATE ON THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD WITH WESTERN EDGE OF SNOW
MOVING STEADILY EASTWARD INTO THE PALOUSE AND SPOKANE VALLEY.

SURFACE LOW CONTINUES ALONG SW COASTAL BRITISH COLUMBIA THIS EVENING
WITH WARM-ADVECTION-INDUCED SNOW HAVING ENDED ACROSS MUCH OF THE
MIDDLE AND UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN. A BAND OF HIGHER REFLECTIVITY WILL
PROVIDE A FINAL ROUND OF STEADY MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW TO
SPOKANE AND PULLMAN OVER THE NEXT HALF HOUR OR SO BEFORE ENDING...AND
00Z ETA ACTUALLY IS HANDLING THE SNOW FIELDS QUITE WELL. CALLS MADE
TO VARIOUS UPPER BASIN AND OKANOGAN COUNTRY LOCATIONS INDICATE THAT
WHILE SNOW HAS BEEN CONTINUOUS IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS...AMOUNTS HAVE
BEEN QUITE LIGHT UNDER 3000 FEET ELEVATION. FURTHER SOUTHEAST THE
CLEARWATER VALLEY AS WELL AS CAMAS PRAIRIE ARE SEEING SOME LIGHT
SNOWS WITH 700 MB WINDS BECOMING MORE WESTERLY...HOWEVER 850 MB FLOW
REMAINS SOUTHWESTERLY IN THAT REGION. SOME LOW PRESSURE TROUGHING AT
THE SURFACE WAS NOTED ACROSS THE COLUMBIA RIVER KEEPING SOUTHEAST
WINDS ACROSS GRANT AND ADAMS COUNTIES THIS EVENING. GRADIENT IS NOT
EXPECTED TO PICK UP APPRECIABLY AND WINDS MAY NOT PICK UP OVERNIGHT
AS EARLIER FORECAST. AT HIGHER RIDGETOPS WINDS WILL TAKE FOR MUCH OF
THE OVERNIGHT TO PICK UP. AVN IS NOT AS EMPHATIC ABOUT WINDS PICKING
UP...AND ETA EXPECTS THE RIDGETOP WINDS TO INCREASE IN THE NEXT 2 TO
4 HOURS. SNOW IS TAPERING OFF ACROSS THE OKANOGAN VALLEY...AND THE
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL BE REMOVED. LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW WILL
LIKELY TAPER OFF IN THE OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS AS
WELL.

THE CHALLENGE APPEARS TO BE A POSSIBILITY FOR SNOW TO CONTINUE INTO
THE EARLY MORNING HOURS IN THE COEUR DALENE AREA TO THE IDAHO
PALOUSE. WILL PONDER WHETHER TO HOLD ONTO THE WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORIES FOR SPOKANE AND THE PALOUSE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS.
WITH THE WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUING FOR THE COEUR DALENE AREA
WHERE SNOW SHOWERS FROM EARLIER TODAY EFFECTIVELY MERGED TOTAL
ACCUMULATIONS WITH THIS EVENINGS EVENT...WARNING CRITERIA WILL
CONTINUE TO BE MET. OTHERWISE...MOUNTAIN SNOWS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS
THE IDAHO PANHANDLE AND NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS ENSURING CONTINUED
SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS.

ZFP UPDATES PLANNED WILL BE LARGELY TO REMOVE EVENING SNOWS FROM THE
WESTERN LOWER ELEVATIONS AND LOWERING OF ADVISORIES FOR THE OKANOGAN
VALLEY. SFP IS HANDLING THE SITUATION WELL AND WILL ONLY BE UPDATED
FOR THE REDUCTION OF HIGHLIGHTS.  JR

...THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRODUCT CONCERNING WARNINGS AND FORECASTS
IS VALID ONLY AT THE TIME OF ISSUANCE. THE LATEST WARNING AND
FORECAST INFORMATION WILL BE FOUND IN THE APPROPRIATE PRODUCTS...

GEG 028/044/036/041/024/049 84663-
COE 027/041/030/038/022/046 +5773-
PUW 028/043/038/048/026/053 +5632-
LWS 034/050/041/054/034/058 834110
CQV 028/046/026/035/021/047 96773-
SPT 025/040/025/030/019/043 +8873-
WWP 025/036/034/036/023/046 +8884-
EAT 029/051/040/050/032/052 102321
MWH 029/051/040/050/029/059 101210

.OTX...WINTER STORM WARNING ID ZNS 1 2 4 AND WA ZNS 37 42 TONIGHT AND
       TUESDAY...
    ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW TONIGHT WA ZNS 38 43...
    ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW TONIGHT AND EARLY TUE
       MORNING ID ZN 3 AND WA ZNS 33 36...