285 FXUS66 KOTX 151910 AFDOTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 1110 AM PST Fri Nov 15 2019 .SYNOPSIS... A frontal system will bring rain and high elevation snow to the Pacific Northwest today. The chance for light rain will persist through the weekend and into early next week. Snow levels are expected to remain above the majority of our mountain passes through early next week. Cooler temperatures and drier weather will likely return by the middle of next week. && .DISCUSSION... The well advertised weak storm system is currently moving east through the forecast area late this morning. Upstream precipitaiton amounts ranged from just under a quarter inch at the Cascade crest to a couple of hundredths in the low lands. The front will be east of the forecast area by sunset. Areas east of a line from Colville to Walla Walla will see light rain and mountain snow and some localized ice pellets. Precipitation amounts will be similar as upstream with under a tenth of an inch with perhaps a quarter inch near the ID/MT border. Snow levels are quite high. The Sherman Pass camera looks like it may have gotten an inch of wet snow and that's what we would expect for Lookout pass as well. Conditions dry out tonight with just some up-sloping rain and snow for the Cascade crest and the Idaho Panhandle mountains. Our next challenge will be fog/stratus development tonight into Saturday. Light precipitation, combined with clearing skies and light southwest winds is a good set up for cloud and fog development for the mountain valleys and most of the lower elevations. Southwest winds may make development along the lower east slopes and the deep basin a little tougher but far from zero. Tobin && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS: A frontal system is moving through the eastern portion of the forecast area and is resulting in widespread light rain and mountain snow. Precipitaiton amounts will remain light. Winds are expected to shift to the southwest behind the front but remain relatively calm. Behind the front near KEAT/KMWH conditions have improved to MVFR/IFR but the cigs/vsby should improve through the next 24 hours. The forecast is much more pessimistic across the eastern portion of the area. Precipitation is on the increase as of 18z and will likely come to an end around 00z. Mountain obscuration will be likely for the next 24 hours for the Idaho Panhandle and northeast mountains. IFR/LIFR Cigs/vsby will remain low and while some improvement is expected behind the precipitaiton fog/stratus will be likely to redevelop through the night. Tobin && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Spokane 41 34 43 39 50 39 / 90 10 10 10 20 0 Coeur d'Alene 41 36 44 39 50 40 / 90 30 10 20 50 0 Pullman 47 37 48 41 55 42 / 80 30 0 0 20 10 Lewiston 50 39 52 43 58 43 / 80 20 0 0 20 10 Colville 41 32 43 37 52 34 / 90 0 40 30 20 0 Sandpoint 41 35 43 38 47 37 / 100 50 20 40 70 10 Kellogg 46 37 43 39 48 40 / 90 90 10 20 70 20 Moses Lake 45 31 47 38 57 36 / 50 0 10 0 10 0 Wenatchee 47 36 48 38 55 41 / 20 0 20 10 30 0 Omak 43 32 43 37 52 36 / 20 0 30 10 30 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. WA...None. && $$