Rain today, fog tonight, sun tomorrow

Several hours of light rain are expected across the Inland Northwest today in what appears to the last in a string of mild Pacific storms across the region. Higher air pressure is going to replace the moist flow and bring sunny skies by late Wednesday. Sunshine should continue through early next week, forecasters said. Fog is a possibility late tonight and early Wednesday. Today’s high is expected to reach the upper 40s across the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas with similar temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday. The higher air pressure that’s forming this week will allow northern air to flow into the region, bringing temperatures down about five degrees by Saturday. The high will also block Pacific storms or shunt them to the south. Average temperatures for today in Spokane are 39 for a high and 26 for a low. Precipitation is near to normal for the fall-winter season with 8.23 inches of rain and melted snow falling at Spokane International Airport since Oct. 1. However, the mild El Nino ocean conditions have left the region with only about a third of its normal snowfall. This season, the airport has had 12.8 inches of snow compared with a normal of 38.2 inches by Feb. 16. At 7 a.m., it was 36 at the Spokane airport, Coeur d’Alene and Deer Park, 37 in downtown Spokane and 38 in Pullman.