AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION

 
 FXUS66 KOTX 250526
 AFDOTX
 
 AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
 926 PM PST TUE NOV 24 2009
 
 .SYNOPSIS...
 A WEAK FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BRING SOME VERY LIGHT PRECIPITATION TO
 THE AREA TONIGHT. THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY WILL BE CLOUDY WITH
 LIGHT PRECIPITATION MOVING IN FROM THE WEST LATE IN THE DAY. ON
 FRIDAY A COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH WITH ANOTHER REASONABLE
 CHANCE OF MOUNTAIN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN OR SNOW. CONDITIONS WILL 
 REMAIN CLOUDY AND UNSETTLED INTO NEXT WEEKEND.
 
 
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 .DISCUSSION...
 
 UPDATE FOR THIS EVENING...OBSERVATIONS AT MULLAN PASS HAVE BEEN
 INDICATING FREEZING RAIN FOR THE PAST TWO HOURS. TAKING A LOOK AT
 SOUNDINGS OVER THE CENTRAL IDAHO PANHANDLE FROM THE 18Z NAM...IT
 SEEMS THAT A NEARLY ISOTHERMAL SATURATED LAYER STRADDLING THE -1
 TO -2C LINE EXTENDS OVER A RATHER DEEP LAYER STARTING BETWEEN 4000
 AND 4500 FEET. THE 18Z NAM ALSO INDICATES SOME VERY WEAK NEGATIVE
 OMEGAS IN THIS LAYER...POSSIBLY ENOUGH TO GENERATE SOME VERY LIGHT
 FREEZING DRIZZLE OR FREEZING RAIN GENERALLY ABOVE 4000 TO 4500
 FEET. BECAUSE OF A LACK OF DEEPER MOISTURE IN THE DENDRITIC LAYER
 ALOFT AND RATHER NEGLIGIBLE SYNOPTIC SCALE ASCENT...THE CHANCE OF
 A SEEDER-FEEDER SNOWFALL GETTING RID OF THE MOIST LAYER DOWN NEAR
 850 OR 800 MB SEEM RATHER SMALL...SO THE RISK OF FREEZING DRIZZLE
 SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING.
 HOWEVER...OVERNIGHT FREEZING LEVELS LOOK TO RISE TOWARD 8000 FEET
 BY ABOUT 2 AM...SO THE CHANCE OF FREEZING DRIZZLE SHOULD END 
 OVERNIGHT TOWARD MORNING. /FRIES
 
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 .AVIATION...
 LOW AND MID CLOUDS CONTINUE TO BE THE GENERAL RULE ACROSS MOST AREAS 
 EXCEPT NEAR KLWS AND KMWH. AS A WEAK WAVE ROTATES AROUND THE NORTH 
 SIDE OF THE RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE AREA...SOME DRIER AIR WILL 
 FILTER IN AND HELP TO BREAKUP THE CURRENT DECK NEAR 3 KFT AGL ACROSS 
 MOST AREAS...THIS MAY HELP TO DEVELOP SOME LOCAL LIFR STRATUS OR FOG 
 TOWARD MORNING...BUT ITS COVERAGE SHOULD BE PRETTY MINIMAL AS 
 MID-CLOUDS ARE SLOW TO EXIT. FORECASTS GENERALLY FEATURE THE 3000 FT 
 DECK STICKING AROUND MOST OF THE NIGHT...WITH HIGHER CIGS MOST 
 PLACES EXCEPT KEAT WEDNESDAY. /FRIES
 
 
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 .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
 SPOKANE        34  45  34  42  36  39 /  10   0  10  10  40  60 
 COEUR D`ALENE  34  45  33  42  35  39 /  20  10  10  10  40  60 
 PULLMAN        34  47  34  46  35  38 /  10   0   0  10  30  50 
 LEWISTON       36  51  37  49  39  45 /   0   0   0  10  10  30 
 COLVILLE       33  44  34  41  34  41 /  30  20  30  30  50  60 
 SANDPOINT      31  41  32  38  35  37 /  20  10  20  10  30  70 
 KELLOGG        33  45  32  41  35  35 /  40  10  10  10  30  80 
 MOSES LAKE     33  48  33  44  34  45 /   0   0  10  20  40  20 
 WENATCHEE      35  46  35  43  34  44 /   0  10  30  20  30  10 
 OMAK           34  45  34  42  32  41 /  10  10  40  50  50  30 
 
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 .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
 ID...NONE.
 WA...NONE.
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