Wildfire in Washington, July 26 to 31, 2006

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
227 AM PDT WED JUL 26 2006

.SYNOPSIS...
DRY WEATHER WITH A GRADUAL DAY TO DAY COOLING TREND CAN BE EXPECTED
TODAY THROUGH WEEKS END. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ORGANIZING OFF THE
PACIFIC COAST THIS WEEKEND WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS TO PARTS OF THE AREA SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
TODAY AND TONIGHT...PROGRESSIVE MID-LEVEL WAVE EVIDENT OVER ERN WA IN
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY WILL EXIT THE AREA EARLY THIS MORNING. IN ITS
WAKE...SHORT-WAVE RIDGING TO DOMINATE THE AREA REMAINDER OF TODAY.
ENHANCED WESTERLIES THROUGH THE CASCADE GAPS THIS MORNING WILL RELAX
BY EARLY AFTERNOON...BEFORE RETURNING THIS EVENING. THESE LOCALLY
GUSTY WINDS COMBINED LOW RH/S ARE THE MAIN CONCERNS THIS PERIOD...BUT
AREAL EXTENT AND DURATION NOT ENOUGH TO WARRANT A RED FLAG WARNING
ATTM. THE RIDGING SHOULD HOLD SWAY THROUGH TONIGHT. ASIDE FROM SOME
MID/HIGH CLOUDS ACROSS FAR ERN ZONES THIS MORNING...SHOULD BE MAINLY
SUNNY/CLEAR THROUGH THE PERIOD. WILL CONTINUE TO SHOW A TEMP TREND
TOWARD LESS HOT...AS MAXES TODAY STILL A GOOD 8 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE
SEASONAL AVERAGE. /KJ

THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT EXISTS THROUGH THE
PERIOD FEATURING A SLOW COOLING TREND UNDER DRY WESTERLY FLOW
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. MAIN WEATHER PROBLEMS WILL LIKELY BE LOCALLY
BREEZY CONDITIONS AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS NEAR CASCADES GAPS CREATING
LOCAL CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR LOW RH AND WINDS...BUT
OTHERWISE A RATHER BENIGN AND SUNNY SUMMER FORECAST. MEANWHILE OVER
THE PACIFIC THE NEXT TROUGH WILL DIG OFF THE COAST AND BEGIN TO
IMPACT THE REGION BEGINNING ON SATURDAY. THIS EVOLUTION WILL HERALD A
STRONGER AND WELCOME COOLING TREND THROUGH THE WEEKEND. MOST OF THE
DYNAMIC TROUGH ENERGY WILL PASS TO THE NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA AS
THIS TROUGH MOVES INLAND...BUT FORECAST AREA WILL BE ON THE SOUTHERN
EDGE OF DEEPER MOISTURE. THUS FOR SATURDAY THE ADVANCE MAIN
BAROCLINIC REGION WILL LIKELY PASS THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA AS A DRY
COLD FRONT...FOLLOWED BUY A COOLER AND MORE UNSETTLED WEATHER REGIME
SUNDAY AND MONDAY AS THE TROUGH COOL POOL ALOFT DECREASES STATIC
STABILITY AND TROUGH CUSP VORTICITY ENERGY MAY GIN UP A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER ZONES. A RETURN TO FLAT
ZONAL FLOW IN THE WAKE OF THIS TROUGH PASSAGE ON TUESDAY WITH DRY
CONDITIONS AND TEMPERATURES BACK INTO THE CLIMATOLOGICALLY NORMAL
RANGE. /FUGAZZI

&&

.AVIATION...VFR CONDS TO PERSIST THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SPOKANE        93  62  94  62  91  60 /   0   0   0  10   0   0
COEUR DALENE  92  60  93  57  90  55 /   0   0   0  10   0   0
PULLMAN        91  54  92  55  89  53 /   0   0   0  10   0  10
LEWISTON       99  64 100  65  97  63 /   0   0   0  10   0  10
COLVILLE       97  54  99  51  96  49 /   0   0   0  10   0   0
SANDPOINT      91  54  93  53  90  51 /   0   0   0  10   0   0
KELLOGG        90  57  92  56  89  54 /   0   0   0  10   0  10
MOSES LAKE     96  61  98  62  95  60 /   0   0   0  10   0   0
WENATCHEE      97  68  98  66  95  64 /   0   0   0  10   0   0
OMAK           98  65  98  61  95  59 /   0   0   0  10   0  10

&&

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