Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 23 to 24, 2007

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
1209 PM PST SUN DEC 23 2007

.SYNOPSIS...
YET ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM IS MOVING THROUGH TODAY AND THIS EVENING.
THIS STORM WILL BE A BIT WARMER THAN PREVIOUS SYSTEMS WITH THE
HEAVIEST SNOW ACCUMULATIONS LIMITED TO THE MOUNTAINS. MORE STORMS
ARE FORECAST FOR THIS WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...ANOTHER UPDATE. NOT TO CHANGE HIGHLIGHTS BUT TO
INCREASE POPS NEAR LEWISTON AND PULLMAN DUE TO EARLIER ONSET. /PELATTI

&&

.AVIATION...
STRATUS AND FOG HAS DEVELOPED IN THE SATURATED LOWER ATMOSPHERE LEFT
BEHIND BY THE OVERNIGHT PRECIPITATION. THE ONLY AREA THAT WILL
PROBABLY NOT SEE A REDUCTION IN VFR CIGS/VSBY WILL BE IN THE KPUW
AND KLWS AREA. LIGHT TO MODERATE PRECIP WILL EXPAND NORTH AND EAST
ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. PRECIP TYPE WILL BE THE MAIN CHALLENGE.
TEMPS SHOULD WARM SUFFICIENTLY TO TURN THE SNOW TO RAIN FOR THE
SPOKANE AREA TAFS LATE AFTERNOON. OF MORE CONCERN WILL BE THE KMWH
AND KEAT TAFS. SNOW FALLING RIGHT NOW WILL LIKELY CHANGE TO FZRA
THEN RAIN FOR KMWH BY 22Z. FOR KEAT...SNOW WILL MIX WITH FZRA OR
OCCASIONAL SLEET CLOSER TO 0Z-2Z. EXPECT MOSTLY MVFR/IFR
CONDITIONS WITH MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS OVER THE FORECAST AREA
THROUGH 14Z MONDAY...WITH MODERATE IMPROVEMENT TO MVFR/VFR
CONDITIONS AFTER THE COLD FRONT PASSAGE THIS EVENING. BZ

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SPOKANE        35  30  32  21  29  23 /  80 100  20  20  10  70
COEUR DALENE  36  30  32  23  30  23 /  80 100  60  20  10  70
PULLMAN        38  32  34  24  31  25 /  80 100  40  20   0  70
LEWISTON       42  34  40  29  35  30 /  80  80  50  10  10  50
COLVILLE       31  27  31  21  30  21 /  80 100  10  10  30  70
SANDPOINT      32  29  30  24  29  22 /  80 100  60  30  20  70
KELLOGG        32  30  32  21  29  21 /  60 100  80  40  20  70
MOSES LAKE     34  29  35  23  32  24 /  80  80   0  10  20  60
WENATCHEE      30  26  33  24  30  25 /  90  80   0   0  30  60
OMAK           31  25  31  18  29  22 /  90  80  10  10  50  60

&&

.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...HEAVY SNOW WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PST MONDAY ABOVE 3000 FEET FOR
     CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS...NORTHERN PANHANDLE.

     SNOW ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM PST MONDAY ABOVE
     3000 FEET FOR LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES.

WA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR MOSES
     LAKE AREA...OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS...OKANOGAN VALLEY...UPPER
     COLUMBIA BASIN...WATERVILLE PLATEAU...WENATCHEE AREA.

     HEAVY SNOW WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST MONDAY ABOVE 3000 FEET FOR
     NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS.

&&

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
544 AM PST SUN DEC 23 2007

IDZ001>004-026-027-WAZ031>038-041>044-241400-
NORTHERN PANHANDLE-COEUR DALENE AREA-IDAHO PALOUSE-
CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS-LEWISTON AREA-
LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES-NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS-
LOWER GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTIES-WASHINGTON PALOUSE-
MOSES LAKE AREA-UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN-SPOKANE AREA-
NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS-OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS-WENATCHEE AREA-
EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES-OKANOGAN VALLEY-WATERVILLE PLATEAU-
544 AM PST SUN DEC 23 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH IDAHO...
NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...CENTRAL WASHINGTON...EAST CENTRAL
WASHINGTON...NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON...NORTHEAST WASHINGTON AND
SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A MOIST PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING HEAVY SNOW TO THE
MOUNTAINS OF NORTHEAST WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING AND INTO MONDAY MORNING. THE VALLEYS AND DEEP
COLUMBIA BASIN NEAR THE CASCADES WILL GATHER MINOR SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS WITH A POSSIBILITY OF FREEZING RAIN WEST OF MOSES
LAKE. MOSTLY RAIN IS EXPECTED BY AFTERNOON AND THROUGH THIS
EVENING SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 90.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

AFTER A BRIEF BREAK MONDAY NIGHT AND MOST OF CHRISTMAS DAY
...ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY EVENING
AND WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL BRING WITH IT ANOTHER CHANCE FOR
POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT SNOW...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE CASCADES AND
THE IDAHO PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS...WITH A SLIGHTLY LOWER RISK OVER
THE COUNTIES ALONG THE WASHINGTON AND IDAHO BORDER. OTHERS SYSTEMS
ARE PROJECTED TO APPROACH THURSDAY NIGHT TO EARLY FRIDAY AND AGAIN
LATER SATURDAY...BOTH WHICH MAY BRING SOME MODERATE SNOW THAT MAY
IMPACT TRAVEL OR OTHER ACTIVITIES.