Rain continues; thunderstorms possible

Rain and thunderstorms continue to pound the Inland Northwest this morning with rain moving across Spokane and Coeur d’Alene at mid-morning. Radar showed heavy rain falling across much of Eastern Washington and North Idaho. A flood advisory was issued and then lifted this morning for the Palouse region of Washington and Idaho. Rain is expected throughout this morning from a wave of storm energy that triggered severe thunderstorms Sunday evening and early today, including a band of storms that dropped an inch or more of hail in Stevens County about 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Precipitation amounts varied across the region overnight, which is typical for a pattern involving thunderstorms. The Spokane area saw about a tenth to a quarter inch of precipitation, and some areas in Ferry County saw about three-quarters of an inch. The National Weather Service this morning lifted a red flag warning for possible thunderstorms setting off fires in the southern Columbia Basin area. The unsettled weather from an upper level low pressure area is expected to move through the region by this evening with the region seeing a return to dry July weather on Tuesday and continuing through Saturday. Highs could reach the 90s by the end of the week, forecasters said. A high of 71 is forecasted for Spokane today with an 80-percent chance of showers. In Coeur d’Alene, the high should reach 68 also with an 80 percent chance of showers. The high on Tuesday should go to 80 in both cities, forecasters said. At 7 a.m., temperatures were in the 50s across the region with 54 at Spokane International Airport, 55 in Coeur d’Alene and 57 in Sandpoint.