Highs in the 60s replace last week’s cold

Temperatures in the Spokane region should crack the 60-degree mark today as the first round of warm weather this spring draws sharp contrast to last week’s record-setting snowfall events. The forecast for today is 64 in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and Pullman, 69 in Moses Lake and 70 in Lewiston under sunny skies. Even warmer temperatures – about 68 in Spokane – are expected Tuesday. “We’ll be pushing 70 tomorrow downtown,” said forecaster Kerry Jones of the Spokane forecast. The last time Spokane saw shirt sleeve temperatures in the 60s was late October. Cooler weather is expected by Thursday when the highs remain in the 50s. This morning’s temperatures were chilly with readings in the upper-20s to mid-30s at most locations at 7 a.m. Sandpoint was at 28 and Deer Park was at 27, showing that winter isn’t too far in the past yet. Sunday’s high in Spokane was 58. While that was only 4 degrees above normal, it may have seemed like a huge warm up after Friday’s high of 40 and the 3.8 inches of snow that were measured on Wednesday night and Thursday morning at Spokane International Airport. The snow last week brought the season’s total to 97.7 inches, the most since snowfall records started in 1893 in Spokane.