Weekend will bring more snow, then warming

Another blast of snow is expected across the Inland Northwest this weekend, the National Weather Service said this morning. Potential snowfall from late Saturday and into Sunday could total 4 inches in Spokane, 5 inches in Coeur d’Alene, 6 inches in Colville and 7 inches in Bonners Ferry. “A major winter storm has its sights set on the Inland NW. Heavy snow is possible near the Cascades and the northern valleys of east Washington and the Idaho Panhandle,” the agency posted on its website early today. In the mountains, snow will continue to fall through this evening, mostly above 4,000 feet, the weather service said. The storm to roll in Saturday will dump snow mostly along and north of Interstate 90. However, temperatures will warm again starting Sunday and continuing into early next week. The combination of rain and melting snow may cause some flooding in the Spokane area and around the Palouse, the agency warned. In Western Washington, the warm, wet weather system from the Pacific, known as a Pineapple Express, is expected to cause heavy rain this weekend, filling many rivers to flood stage. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch from Saturday through Monday afternoon.