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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Area enjoys window of dazzling weather

Halie Gonwick, 13, gives 7-month-old Daxton Larson his pacifier while Bo Gonwick, 11, pushes Dakota Larson, 5, on the swings Tuesday at the playground at University Elementary School in Spokane Valley. (Liz Kishimoto / The Spokesman-Review)
By Mike Prager mikeprager15@gmail.com(509) 459-5454
Halie Gonwick, 13, gives 7-month-old Daxton Larson his pacifier while Bo Gonwick, 11, pushes Dakota Larson, 5, on the swings Tuesday at the playground at University Elementary School in Spokane Valley. (Liz Kishimoto / The Spokesman-Review)

Kids and families poured into area parks Tuesday as sunny skies brought a reprieve from three weeks of stormy, cool weather.

Another full day of spring weather is expected today as highs approach 70 across the Inland Northwest. High clouds may reduce the amount of sunshine, forecasters said, before a new round of showery weather returns Thursday and Friday.

The timing of this week’s dazzling weather seemed perfect for kids and families who were out enjoying their weeklong spring break from classes.

“I love it. I truly love it,” said Marguerite Lattanzio, who was out for a walk in Riverfront Park with her grandson, Anthony Lattanzio, a sixth-grader at Roosevelt Elementary School, and her husband, Robert.

A short distance away, Mary Pierre, 13, and her boyfriend, Desmond Peters, 15, both students at Paschal Sherman Indian School in Omak, were sprawled out on the grass soaking in the sunshine.

At Franklin Park on Spokane’s North Side, Alesha Hay and her daughter, Emma, 5, spent part of their afternoon at the park’s colorful play equipment. They were joined by Hay’s sister, Melissa Hay, and Melissa’s son, Avery, 4.

“We’re just waiting for the weather to be normal,” Alesha Hay said. “I want it to be nice like this every day.”

Forecasters said they can only promise so much today. “I think for the most part it’s going to be a real warm day,” said Todd Lericos, forecaster for the National Weather Service in Spokane. “It’ll be warmer, but you won’t have the sun out,” he said.

Highs today are forecast to reach 68 degrees in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene before retreating into the low 50s Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday, the next in a series of Pacific storms is expected to push rain showers across the Inland Northwest. The cool, unsettled weather should continue through Saturday, Lericos said, but there is a chance of nicer weather starting Sunday and early next week.

More snow is forecast Thursday and Friday in the mountains, where snowpacks have been showing a slow recovery from drought conditions over the winter. Late season snowfall allowed three North Idaho resorts to operate last weekend. Huge crowds showed up to enjoy the fresh powder.

Silver Mountain resort is expected to operate Friday through Sunday. Schweitzer and Lookout Pass resorts are considering opening again this weekend, too.

In North Idaho, the snowpack Tuesday was measured at 55 percent of normal, an improvement of 13 percentage points since March 25. In southeast and south-central Washington, snowpacks improved from a quarter to a third of normal.

The U.S. Drought Monitor, which tracks areas of dry weather nationwide, scaled back drought conditions in northeast Washington and North Idaho last week from severe to moderate drought. However, much of the wheat growing areas of the central and southern Columbia Basin, where soil moisture is reportedly low, remained under severe drought conditions.