Seasonal temps seen through Saturday

High temperatures today and for the next few days should run in the lower to middle 80s, which is about normal for middle August. Hot weather is not expected to return to the region until Sunday, but several days of highs in the middle and upper 90s are predicted next week. The National Weather Service is calling for a high near 86 in downtown Spokane today, 84 in Spokane Valley and 83 in Coeur d’Alene. Mostly sunny skies are forecast today to be followed by more sun on Friday and Saturday. A weak low pressure area that cooled temperatures over the past couple of days has exited the region, but another low pressure system in Alberta should keep a lid on the heat through Saturday, forecasters said. However, it should create mostly cloudy skies tonight during the height of the annual Perseid meteor shower. It may also bring a chance of showers to areas of North Idaho, but mainly in the mountains. A strong high pressure system moves inland from the Pacific Ocean on Sunday and could persist through next week. Highs at midweek in downtown Spokane could reach the middle and upper 90s. Warmer locations of the Columbia Basin are likely to see triple digits at the middle of next week. Computer forecast models are not clear on how long the heat wave will last, but forecasters said they think it’s likely to persist through Aug. 20. The normal high for today is 84 with a normal low of 56 in Spokane. At 7 a.m. today, it was 58 at Spokane International Airport, 64 at Felts Field, 61 in Coeur d’Alene, 56 at Deer Park and 58 at Pullman.