Inland Northwest Travelers Face Mild Holiday Weather

Thanksgiving travelers will encounter mild weather in North Idaho, Washington and Western Montana for the next several days, forecasters said.

Daytime snow levels in the Cascades are expected to remain at 3,500 to 4,000 feet, which is above the 3,000-foot summit of Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90.

In North Idaho, passes could see snow showers, but accumulations are expected to be light.

“In North Idaho, things are looking fine,” said Darin Rife, forecaster for the National Weather Service in Spokane.

“Travel should be real good going both east and west.”

High temperatures in Spokane should be in the upper 30s and low 40s through the weekend.

A storm system off the Pacific Coast is poised to move onshore late today and Friday, but it will only graze the Northwest because most of its energy will swing northward, Rife said.

In the Spokane area, a mix of rain and snow showers are expected in lower elevations through Saturday. Any accumulations above 2,500 feet will be light.

The only major holiday weather problem is in central and southern Idaho, where winter storm warnings were posted Wednesday for areas to the south of Lewiston.

That storm is linked to a broader swath of bad weather across California and the Great Basin, consistent with El Nino-influenced weather patterns, forecasters said.

, DataTimes