49 Degrees North Mountain Resort Snow Report

767 FXUS66 KOTX 240555 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 1055 PM PDT Wed Sep 23 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Mild temperatures, before cooling Friday into the weekend, with highs into the upper 50s to mid 60s Saturday. - A system brings stronger winds and an increasing risk for rain, thunderstorms and high mountain snow Thursday night through Saturday. && .SYNOPSIS... A strong system Thursday into Friday will bring gusty winds, rain and along with chance of thunderstorms, and high mountain snow. Friday will be the wettest and windiest days. Temperatures remain mild through Thursday, then trend cooler Friday into the weekend when afternoon highs fall into the upper 50s to mid 60s by Saturday. && .DISCUSSION... Tonight and Thursday: A trough will be deepening off the coast and bring a dry southerly flow pattern through Thursday. It will promote a fairly benign day with highs in the upper 70s and 80s. Winds will be light. Only chance of precip will be in the far North Cascades with little to accumulation expected. Tonight lows will be in the 40s and low 50s for most. Higher elevations could dip into the mid 30s for the higher terrain of the Cascades and northern mountains. Thursday Night and Friday: The trough will move East and push a strong Low across the Inland Northwest. The Low will bring 0.80-1 inch of precipitable water with it. Guidance has been consistent with the track and has been slightly increasing the precip amounts and wind speeds. Starting mid morning, the Low will swing a cold front through the region starting Friday morning and into the early afternoon. It will bring widespread showers and isolated thunderstorms. It will be followed by gusty winds across the Basin. Highs will be drastically lower on Friday in the upper 50s and 60s. For precip amounts, guidance has +50% probability of at least a tenth of an inch across the region. Areas that will see the highest rainfall include the Cascades, northern mountains, Idaho Panhandle. Rain amounts between 0.25-0.50 of an inch are likely. Localized total between 0.50-1.00 inch are possible near the Cascade crest and northern mountains. Across the Basin, amounts will be in the 0.20-0.40 of inch. Snow levels along the Cascades drop to around 6000 ft with the frontal passage and bring an increased chance of snow Friday morning for the Cascades. While amounts are not expected to be more than a few inches, a convective shower could bring a quick burst of heavy snow. Hikers should plan accordingly for possible winter weather. For thunderstorms, ensembles bring the best chances late morning to middle afternoon. Moderate Theta-e values across the region support convection with the front passage. As the front passes, indices Cape values are in the 200-400 J/kg. Lapse rates are +6. The best chances are over the Cascades and northern mountains. These areas have 20-30 percent chance for thunderstorms. The region has less than 20 percent chance. Main impacts will be lightning, gusty outflows, and brief heavy downpours. Cold, dry air will fill in behind the exiting front. Winds in the 850-700mb range from 35-45 mph. Models indicate a sharp drop in the Theta-e values behind the cold front. It will allow the low level winds to mix to the surface and bring gusty winds to most of the Basin into the early evening. Agreement between the models on where highest winds will occur is not great. The NBM puts the strongest over the Waterville Plateau. The other ensembles put the winds in extreme eastern Washington. Across the basin, there is at least a 40 percent probability for gusts 35 mph or greater across the Basin. There is 50 percent probability for winds 40+ mph depending on if the which guidance is correct. An isolated pocket of 50+ mph is possible but a less than 5 percent probability. Blowing dust is possible but is dependent on the amount of rain from earlier in the day. Possible impacts include airborne objects, difficult travel for high profile vehicles, and isolated power outages. Saturday through Tuesday: Behind the system, the region will be under the influence of a cool, dry shallow trough pattern. It will definitely feel like autumn across the region. Highs will be in the upper 50s to low 60s. Overnight lows will be in the mid 30s to 40s. Frost could be an issue for areas in the Cascades and northern mountains. /JDC && .AVIATION... 06Z TAFS: VFR conditions are expected with middle and high cloud decks through the forecast period. Winds will generally be less than 10kts throughout the period as well. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence in VFR conditions. ----------------------- 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 72 46 79 51 65 44 / 0 0 0 10 90 50 Coeur d`Alene 71 46 79 52 63 44 / 0 0 0 0 90 70 Pullman 71 45 80 47 63 40 / 0 0 0 0 80 30 Lewiston 77 52 84 56 70 48 / 0 0 0 0 80 30 Colville 73 39 75 44 64 36 / 0 0 0 30 100 80 Sandpoint 68 43 74 48 62 40 / 0 0 0 10 80 90 Kellogg 70 48 80 52 63 42 / 0 0 0 0 80 80 Moses Lake 73 45 76 50 67 42 / 0 0 0 40 90 10 Wenatchee 73 52 72 56 64 48 / 0 0 0 70 80 10 Omak 74 47 73 51 65 42 / 0 0 0 60 100 50 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...None. ID...None. && $$