Nelson Nordic snow report

774 FXUS66 KOTX 040746 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 1246 AM PDT Sat Jul 4 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Elevated to critical fire weather expected for Independence Day with breezy winds and low RHs Saturday afternoon and early evening. - Gradual warming trend continues into early next week. Moderate HeatRisk by Monday and Tuesday with highs in the 90s. && .SYNOPSIS... Independence Day will see seasonally warm temperatures in the 80s to near 90s. Dry and breezy conditions will result in elevated to critical fire weather conditions across the area. Temperatures will continue climbing through Tuesday, resulting in widespread Moderate HeatRisk. The risk for critical fire weather conditions increases Tuesday and especially Wednesday. && .DISCUSSION... Saturday (Independence Day) and Sunday: The trough off the PNW coast has started to push its way inland, bringing higher heights to the area and an increase in temperatures. High temperatures today are expected to be in the high 80s to low 90s, with lows reaching the high 50s. This is around 5-7 degrees above normal this time of year. Clouds will be sparse, bringing a clear holiday to the Inland Northwest. Sunday will see temperatures very similar to Saturday. A trough off the Canadian coast will also move eastward and into British Columbia. This will usher a weak cold front through the forecast area, resulting in west to southwesterly wind gusts 25-35 mph across the Cascade gaps, Columbia Basin, and Waterville Plateau. Minimum relative humidity values will be 15 to 25 percent, which will result in critical fire weather conditions across the Okanogan Valley, Colville Reservation, Cascade foothills, Waterville Plateau, Methow Valley, and Western Columbia Basin. A Red Flag Warning has been issued for these areas, as well as for the foothills of the Blues, where it will end one hour earlier. With critical fire conditions, rapid fire spread is likely with any new or ongoing fires. Monday through Wednesday: As the ridge moves further inland and strengthens, high temperatures will increase by 4-6 degrees between Sunday and Monday, reaching the high 80s and low 90s. This will bring a return of Moderate HeatRisk to much of the area. Moderate HeatRisk impacts all those sensitive to heat, especially those without access to adequate cooling and hydration. Tuesday will be the hottest day of the warmup, with temperatures in the mid to high 90s and further widespread coverage of Moderate HeatRisk. Please make sure to keep cool and hydrated. On Monday evening, a strong low off the Gulf of Alaska will begin moving southward down the Canadian coast, and by Tuesday will move inland and across British Columbia. This will usher a strong and dry cold front through the area, bringing about a classic fire weather pattern for the Inland Northwest. On Tuesday, ahead of the frontal passage, winds in the Cascade gaps will increase to 25-30 mph. However, on Wednesday with the frontal passage, winds will increase across much of central Washington with gusts up to 40 mph expected in the afternoon and evening. Alongside relative humidity values in the high teens to low 20s, this will bring another round of critical fire weather conditions to the area. This will be closely monitored, with fire weather headlines becoming increasingly likely. Thursday through Friday: Clusters and long-term models show disagreement in the weather pattern to end the work week. Half of the clusters show lower heights continuing to impact the area, which will keep temperatures right at or just below normal. The other half of clusters show higher heights moving through the area, which would favor temperatures rising above normal. /AS && .AVIATION... 06Z TAFs: VFR conditons are expected to prevail through the forecast period. High level clouds will pass through overnight, but then skies become mostly clear after mid-morning (16-18Z) and are expected to remain that way through the rest of the forecast period. A dry cold front will move through the area Saturday afternoon, increasing winds at most terminals around 18-21Z. EAT will see the highest wind gusts at 25-30kts, with other areas seeing less than that throughout the afternoon. Winds are expected to weaken once the front passes through around 01-04Z. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence for VFR conditions regionwide. Main uncertainty comes with precise timing of winds increasing and strength of gusts in the foothills of the East Slopes into the Western Columbia Basin. ----------------------- 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 86 53 85 52 90 57 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Coeur d`Alene 83 53 84 54 89 59 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pullman 82 50 82 50 87 54 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lewiston 92 59 90 58 94 63 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Colville 85 48 84 48 90 54 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sandpoint 82 52 83 53 87 58 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kellogg 81 53 82 52 89 57 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Moses Lake 91 53 89 55 94 59 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wenatchee 88 59 89 62 93 67 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Omak 89 53 87 57 93 62 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...Red Flag Warning from 1 PM this afternoon to 8 PM PDT this evening for Lower Palouse -Snake River (Zone 709). Red Flag Warning from 1 PM this afternoon to 9 PM PDT this evening for Colville Reservation (Zone 702)-Foothills of Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705)-Methow Valley (Zone 704)-Okanogan Valley (Zone 703)-Waterville Plateau (Zone 706)-Western Columbia Basin (Zone 707). ID...None. && $$