770 FXUS66 KOTX 300444 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 844 PM PST Mon Dec 29 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Dry conditions through midweek then becoming unsettled late week into the weekend. && .SYNOPSIS... Temperatures moderate back to seasonal normals and dry conditions continue through Thursday. A more active winter weather pattern returns heading into 2026. && .DISCUSSION... Monday through Wednesday: High level clouds have increased since yesterday due to moisture filtering down into the region from weather systems to our north, but conditions remain dry and there are still plenty of breaks in the cloud cover for sunshine to peek through. Conditions will stay dry through the rest of the year (through Wednesday) as ridging along the coastline slowly shifts inland. Temperatures climb back to normal or just above normal by Tuesday with afternoon highs ranging from the low to upper 30s. Air stagnation concerns increase through mid week under light winds and low mixing heights. Thus, an Air Stagnation Advisory has been issued over portions of North and North Central Idaho and North Central, Northeast, and Southeast Washington through noon Thursday. Thursday through Monday: By Thursday the ridge axis shifts far enough east into Montana to make room for unsettled conditions to move in from the west. Precipitable water values will increase from south to north through the day on Thursday, rising to around 200% of normal by Thursday evening. With this pattern shift will come an increase in chances for mountain snow and lowland rain or a wintry mix. At this point precip amounts look light. For the Cascade Crest and east slopes, QPF amounts range from 0.50" to 1.25" from Thursday to Monday. For the ID Panhandle, between 0.25" and 0.75" is forecast. For lowlands of Central and Eastern WA, amounts range from 0.10" to 0.40". Precip types for lowland areas will be challenging to forecast particularly during the late night and early morning hours when both surface temperatures and temperatures aloft will be right around freezing. Expect a mixed bag of precip types with light snow, rain, and freezing rain all possible. We will continue to monitor model data and forecast soundings over the coming days. && .AVIATION... 06Z TAFs: VFR conditions continue across eastern Washington and north Idaho through the forecast period due to an upper level ridge. High and mid level clouds will be seen across the area through the period. Winds will remain mostly light across the area apart from KCOE/KPUW, which will see east winds 8-12kts. .FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence for widespread VFR conditions at all TAF sites. ----------------------- 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 22 35 22 35 25 37 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Coeur d'Alene 21 37 23 38 26 38 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Pullman 25 38 25 39 28 38 / 0 0 0 0 0 20 Lewiston 27 40 28 41 31 41 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Colville 21 33 22 35 23 34 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Sandpoint 22 34 23 37 24 35 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Kellogg 25 40 28 42 30 40 / 0 0 0 0 0 20 Moses Lake 23 37 21 35 25 35 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Wenatchee 23 34 24 35 27 36 / 0 0 0 0 0 10 Omak 22 32 24 34 25 34 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...Air Stagnation Advisory until noon PST Thursday for Central Chelan County-Lower Garfield and Asotin Counties- Northeast Mountains-Okanogan Highlands-Okanogan Valley- Spokane Area-Wenatchee Area-Western Chelan County-Western Okanogan County. ID...Air Stagnation Advisory until noon PST Thursday for Central Panhandle Mountains-Lewis and Southern Nez Perce Counties- Lewiston Area. && $$