FXUS66 KOTX 281632
AFDOTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
832 AM PST SAT NOV 28 2009
.SYNOPSIS...
CLOUDS WILL INCREASE TODAY AND PORTIONS OF NORTHERN WASHINGTON AND
FAR NORTHERN IDAHO WILL EXPERIENCE SOME LIGHT SNOW THIS AFTERNOON
AND THIS EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE THE DOMINANT WEATHER
FEATURE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOR MOST OF NEXT WEEK. LOOK FOR
MAINLY DRY WEATHER AND CHILLY TEMPERATURES.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
TODAY...WE'VE MADE ONLY MINOR CHANGES TO THE FCST FOR
TODAY...FOCUSING ON THE AREAL COVERAGE OF FOG AND STRATUS. METAR
OBS STILL SHOW SEVERELY-RESTRICTED VSBYS FROM MOSES LAKE E TO
SPOKANE INCLUDING THE I-90 CORRIDOR. THE 12Z OTX RAOB SHOWS THE
SFC MOIST LYR DEPTH LESS THAN ONE THOUSAND FT...WITH A TEMP
PROFILE SUPPORTING DRIZZLE/FZDZ. WE'VE BEEN HANDLING THIS WITH
NOWCASTS GIVEN THE LESS-THAN-WIDESPREAD COVERAGE. SATELLITE
LOOPERS SHOW A WELL-DEFINED BACK EDGE TO THE DECK OF STRATUS JUST
N OF KPUW TO NEAR KMWH...SLOWLY CREEPING N. FCST SOUNDINGS SHOW
THE DRY S.E. FLOW AT LEAST PARTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CLEARING
LINE MOVING N TODAY...WITH THE BACK EDGE MOVING TO JUST S OF
SPOKANE. HOWEVER...FCST SOUNDINGS SHOW A SLOW DEEPENING OF THE
STRATUS DECK WITHIN PERSISTENT S/SE FLOW FOR THE SPOKANE AREA.
THIS SUPPORTS A CLOUDY...AND OCCASIONALLY FOGGY FCST...ALL DAY
THAT INCLUDED PATCHES OF DRIZZLE. ALOFT...WE'LL SEE A THICKENING
CANOPY OF MID-CLOUD AND A MOISTENING OF THE MID-LEVEL DRY LYR
ABOVE THE STRATUS DECK AS LIGHT PCPN SLOWLY SATURATES THE LYR. BY
THIS AFTERNOON THE DEPTH OF THE DRY LYR WILL SHRINK TO BETWEEN 5
AND 10K FT...SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE FLURRIES EVEN FOR LOWER ELEVS N
OF SPOKANE. THIS PCPN MAY ALSO SEED THE SFC FOG DECK TO PRODUCE A
CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW AS FAR S AS SPOKANE AND WEST TO NEAR KOMK.
THIS IS ALREADY COVERED IN THE MORNING FCST. NO OTHER NOTES OF
SIGNIFICANCE. BZ
&&
.AVIATION...
LOW CLOUDS AND FOG IN THE PULLMAN AREA WILL SPREAD NORTH INTO THE
SPOKANE AND COEUR D'ALENE AREAS BETWEEN 11Z AND 14Z. CEILINGS WILL
LIKELY BE 500 FEET OR LESS...AND VISIBILITIES OF 2 MILES OR LESS
WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH 20Z. TEMPORARY VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS
FROM FOG MAY ALSO SPREAD AS FAR WEST AS MOSES LAKE THIS MORNING.
/GKOCH
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SPOKANE 36 31 40 31 40 29 / 10 10 0 0 0 10
COEUR D'ALENE 36 31 39 32 42 30 / 20 20 10 0 0 20
PULLMAN 37 30 43 32 43 31 / 0 10 0 0 0 10
LEWISTON 43 32 48 34 45 34 / 0 10 0 0 0 10
COLVILLE 36 32 40 33 40 31 / 20 20 10 10 10 30
SANDPOINT 35 30 36 32 38 30 / 20 20 20 10 10 30
KELLOGG 33 31 36 32 40 29 / 20 20 20 10 10 20
MOSES LAKE 41 31 45 32 41 29 / 0 10 0 0 0 0
WENATCHEE 43 34 48 34 42 33 / 0 10 0 0 0 10
OMAK 40 31 43 33 42 30 / 10 10 0 0 0 10
&&
.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...NONE.
WA...NONE.
&&
$$
