235 FXUS66 KOTX 102125 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 225 PM PDT Wed Oct 10 2018 .SYNOPSIS... Clouds will clear later tonight with temperatures cooling near or below freezing in many areas. A dry and mild weather pattern is expected for the remainder of the week and into the next as high pressure builds over the region. Breezy and gusty north winds are possible down the Okanogan valley and over the western Columbia Basin Friday night. && .DISCUSSION... Tonight and Thursday... The departure of a low pressure system and and incoming high pressure ridge puts the area in northerly flow this evening. Some moisture trapped against the Cascades and minimal instability may produce some late afternoon showers near the east slopes of the Cascades and Cascade Crest. Clouds will thin later tonight over the region as drier air settles over the region. Clear skies and dry air will promote good radiational cooling late tonight into Thursday morning. The southern part of central Washington (Central Basin Area) has not seen freezing temperatures in a few days and is still in its average growing season until the middle of October so temperatures near freezing tonight are a concern for garden enthusiasts and any other grower activities sensitive to freezing temperatures. Therefore a freeze warning for this areas was issued to cover this event. Thursday the ridge noses over the area bringing in mostly sunny skies and warming temperatures closer to normal for this time of year in the middle 50s to middle 60s. Winds in the Okanogan valley and Purcell Trench between Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene will be lighter generally running less than 10 mph. TC Thursday night through Wednesday...Models are in good agreement overall depicting a strong eastern Pacific rideg aloft...placing the forecast area under the dry eastern flank of this sprawling feature through the upcoming weekend...followed by the axis of the ridge drifting over the western US next week. This pattern leads to high confidence of a sustained period of dry weather through next Wednesday at least. The only marginally significant weather during this period is a weak short wave rounding the top of the ridge Thursday night and Friday morning...which will have a decent feed of Pacific moisture along with it. However this will be a quick hitting disturbance which will bring increased clouds but the dwell time of the moisture feed and the dynamic lift will not be long enough or strong enough to effectively moisten the atmospheric column. Thus just increased mid and high clouds are expected before quickly clearing on Friday. The short wave will also usher in an invasion of dry Canadian continental air pushing down from the north through the Okanogan Valley. These breezy and gusty north winds will peak during Friday night and into early Saturday morning with sustained winds of 15 to 20 mph and a few gusts in the 25 to 30 mph range through the valley and into the western basin. For the rest of the extended period winds will be generally light with frosty overnight low temperatures and high temperatures quickly rising after sunrise to more or less seasonably normal highs in the 50s to lower 60s this weekend...with a mild warm up to slightly above average temperatures next week as the upper ridge axis shifts inland. /Fugazzi && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS: Elevated broken cloud decks will thin and dissipate later this afternoon over the region. NE winds up to 15kts will continue from KSZT to KCOE through about 21Z. Otherwise VFR conditions and light winds for the next 24 hours. TC && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Spokane 35 56 38 61 37 58 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Coeur d'Alene 32 55 38 60 36 57 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pullman 33 56 38 60 33 56 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lewiston 40 61 41 66 39 61 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Colville 32 58 38 61 35 60 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sandpoint 29 54 37 57 34 55 / 0 0 0 10 0 0 Kellogg 30 53 37 57 34 53 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Moses Lake 33 61 38 64 37 61 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wenatchee 43 62 43 64 39 61 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 Omak 38 60 41 65 38 61 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. WA...Freeze Warning from 3 AM to 9 AM PDT Thursday for Lower Garfield and Asotin Counties-Moses Lake Area-Upper Columbia Basin- Washington Palouse. && $$