National Weather Service - NWS Spokane

April 2008

STATION INFORMATION DATA SHEET - SPOKANE, WASHINGTON

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION: Spokane is the agriculture, industrial and transportation hub of the Inland Northwest, an area stretching from the Cascade Mountains on the west to the Rockies on the east, and from the US-Canada border to northeastern Oregon. Downtown Spokane lies along both sides of the Spokane River, at an elevation of about 2000 feet. The residential areas have spread onto the plateaus on either side of the river, extending to elevations of approximately 2500 feet above sea level. Development extends in all direction from the city center, with the newest development taking place to the north, east and west. The largest employers in the region are Fairchild AFB, the local school districts, and the local hospitals. The city's population is around 200,000; with the county's about 430,000.

CLIMATE: The city is located on a plateau where the long, gradual slope from the Columbia River meets the sharp rise of the Rocky Mountain ranges. This is a transition area between the desert-like Columbia Basin of central Washington and the forested mountains of north Idaho and northeast Washington. In general, Spokane has the characteristics of a mild, arid climate during the summer months and a cold, coastal type climate in the winter. Approximately 70% of the total annual precipitation (averaging around 17 inches) falls between the first of October and the end of March. About half of that falls as snow. The normal July maximum is 84.0 degrees, minimum 55.3 degrees; the normal January maximum is 31.3 degrees, minimum of 20.0 degrees. Extremes range from 108 degrees to minus 30 degrees, but temperatures of more than 95 degrees and less than -10 degrees are rare.

PLACES OF WORSHIP: The city has over 180 churches representing all major denominations.

MEDICAL FACILITIES: The medical facilities are considered excellent and include six major hospitals, offering general and specialized services.

EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES: The Spokane school district and surrounding districts offer some of the best facilities and instruction in the Northwest. The following colleges are located in and around Spokane: Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, Spokane Falls and Spokane Community Colleges, and Whitworth College. Washington State University and the University of Idaho are located about 80 miles south of Spokane in the sister communities of Pullman, WA and Moscow, ID. In addition, there are several private learning centers in and around Spokane that offer clerical, computer, and trade training.

RECREATION: Fishing, hunting, skiing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, boating, swimming, camping, hiking and numerous other outdoor activities are available in the region. Five ski resorts are within two hours of downtown. There are ten 18-hole golf courses in Spokane County with many more within 2 hours of downtown including one world class golf resort. There are 76 lakes within fifty miles, including the large deep lakes of Coeur d'Alene and Pend Oreille in north Idaho. Within a six hour drive are some of the most dramatic and pristine areas of North America including national forests, parks and wilderness areas in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and British Columbia.

Spokane is the cultural and arts hub of the region. Over 80 resident art organizations foster all types of public and private programs, including the literary, visual, performing and musical arts. Professional level spectator sports include hockey, baseball and arena football. Men's and women's collegiate level spectator sports abound with WSU of the Pac-10 Conference, Eastern Washington in the Big Sky Conference and Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference. Many other events occur year round from high school sports to regional rodeos. The city is served by three major malls and a vibrant and developing downtown shopping district. Movie theaters abound with five multi-screen first run complexes and other specialized facilities. Indoor recreation opportunities are also plentiful with 9 bowling lanes, an indoor driving range and other facilities.

HOUSING: Three bedroom homes are readily available and start at about $150,000 for older models to about $250,000 or more for new construction. New and existing homes are readily available. Rentals in the two bedroom size can be found at about $800 and up. Many apartments and home rentals are available. The median home price in the 4th quarter of 2005 was $127,500.

TAXES: The Spokane area has sales tax of 7.8 to 8.0 percent on all purchases except food. Property taxes are moderate and vary according to location in Spokane and surrounding counties. There is no income tax in the state of Washington. The communities around Couer d'Alene Idaho are within a reasonable commuting distance to the office (40 to 50 miles). Income, real estate and personal property taxes are considerably different in Idaho.

TRANSPORTATION: Spokane International Airport is served by ten major airlines with over 100 scheduled flights arriving and departing each day. There are daily direct flights to and from
hubs in Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Oakland, Portland, and Seattle. Felts Field (east of downtown Spokane) serves private aviation. AMTRAK stops once a day each way, eastbound and westbound. The Spokane Transit Authority (STA) bus system has routes to almost every part of the metro area including the airport. A downtown central facility provides a hub for organized transfers. Interstate 90 runs east-west through the region and downtown. North-south and feeder routes are in general not limited access, but often four lane. Rush hour traffic is considered busy, but long waits and delays are rare.

STATION LOCATION: The NWS Office is located within easy commuting distance of the city. The standard WFO-type facility has its own parking. The WSR-88D is collocated with the WFO and the upper air observation facility.

STATION PROGRAM: The WFO is assigned full warning and forecast responsibility for nearly 1 million people in a climatologically diverse region. Four significant population centers (Spokane-Coeur d'Alene, Moscow- Pullman, Lewiston-Clarkston and Wenatchee) are surrounded by smaller towns, agricultural areas, river valleys, mountains, and desert. Elevations range from near 700 feet on the Columbia River south of Wenatchee to peaks near 10,000 feet in the Cascades. Precipitation, snowfall, temperatures and other parameters vary accordingly. Seven TAFs make up the aviation program.

The most significant weather threat to the public results from winter weather; heavy snows, extreme cold, blizzards and ice storms. Hydrologic threats affect a significant portion of the area and the threat to life and property from wild land and urban interface fires requires a robust fire weather program. Unique threats such as very low visibilities in blowing dust in the late summer and early fall and the possibility of another significant volcanic ash fall present unique forecast challenges. High winds from synoptic scale winter storms affect the region about once a year, while tornadoes, hail and high winds from thunderstorms occur less frequently. In 1997, a much above normal six tornadoes and hail to 3 inches in diameter were observed.

The station has a strong working relationship with state and county emergency managers. A strong outreach program provides service to the public and media through many traditional and innovative ways.