What the forecast actually says
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Area Forecast Discussions are the real forecasts, written 3 to 4 times daily by NWS meteorologists reading the models and interpreting what they mean for your area. They offer far deeper insight than any weather app, but they're written in dense meteorological shorthand. Plaincast uses Anthropic's Claude to summarize them into plain English, side by side with the annotated original.
Revised in 3 passages since the 4:42 PM discussion. See every revision.
Elevated to localized critical fire weather conditions Tuesday for Central WA.
Near normal temperatures in the 80s through Wednesday. Above normal temperatures return Thursday through Saturday with highs in the 90s.
Critical Fire Weather expected for portions of the Inland Northwest Saturday, August 1st due to windy and dry conditions.
Breezy winds across Central Washington on Tuesday will bring elevated to locally critical fire weather conditions. Temperatures will remain near seasonal normals in the 80s through Wednesday before warming back into the 90s toward the end of the week. Saturday will be the day to watch for critical fire weather concerns due to strong winds and low humidity.
Tuesday: An upper-level trough planted off the coast of British Columbia will eject a shortwave across the region Tuesday, sending a dry "cold" front through the Inland Northwest. With the frontal passage will come breezy west winds Tuesday afternoon and evening through the Cascade gaps, over the Waterville Plateau, and into the Western Columbia Basin. Expect sustained speeds of 10 to 20 mph and gusts up to 30 mph. Looking at temperatures, the cold front won't have much of a cooling effect. Afternoon highs will only cool by a degree or two from Tuesday to Wednesday, remaining in the mid to upper 80s for most locations.
Wednesday through Friday: Wednesday will be quiet weather-wise with light winds and afternoon highs in the mid to upper 80s for most areas. Temperatures warm back into the upper 80s to mid 90s Thursday and Friday as a ridge of high pressure builds up from the Desert Southwest. In addition to warming temperatures, Thursday will see another shortwave ripple through the broader ridge, bringing another round of breezy winds across Central Washington with sustained speeds of 10 to 15 mph and gusts up to 25 mph.
Saturday and Sunday: Saturday will be the big day to watch as the upper level low off the coast of British Columbia tracks inland, sending a robust dry cold front across the Northwest and shifting a powerful upper-level jet directly over the region. This event is looking much like what we saw this past Saturday, if not stronger. The latest the blend-of-models forecast shows a 50 to 90 percent chance of winds gusting to 40+ mph over the Waterville Plateau and Columbia Basin. For the Waterville Plateau where the strongest winds are expected, there is a 30 to 60 percent chance of gusts over 50 mph. Strong winds combined with RHs in the teens Saturday will result in critical fire weather conditions across much of the region. Following the cold front passage, temperatures will cool by around 10 degrees with Sunday's highs topping out in the low to mid 80s. /Fewkes
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