Rain, snow tapering off; colder tonight

A mix of rain and snow continues to fall across the Inland Northwest this morning, but forecasters said it should come to an end as dry cold air moves southward from Canada. The National Weather Service today issued a flood advisory for ponding water in low-lying areas through 6:45 p.m. Rain combined with frozen soil was causing problems with standing water near Rosalia, Oakesdale and Pullman. Rain and snow subsided in Spokane by late morning. Highs in the middle 30s today should give way to a low tonight in the lower 20s. A weak storm disturbance is moving south from western Alberta along the spine of the Rockies between a high pressure area centered over the Pacific coast and a deep cyclone low over north-central Canada. Arctic air associated with the Canadian disturbance should brush the region in a pattern similar to the last shot of cold in the region in late December. Temperatures could drop to the middle teens by Thursday morning, but the cold air also is bringing a likelihood of sunshine on Wednesday, Thursday and possibly even Friday when highs will be mainly in the 20s. The cold won’t be as deep or lasting as the arctic weather last Dec. 7 through 12 when lows dropped to near zero. A 40 percent chance of snow is in the forecast for Friday night and rain or snow on Saturday as the next Pacific storm breaks through the high pressure ridge now in place along the coast. Lookout Pass on Interstate 90 in Idaho had lots of snow this morning, but traffic was moving through it. Conditions were better on Fourth of July Summit. Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 in the Cascades was bare and wet. Schweitzer ski area had 9 inches of new snow this morning while Lookout Pass had 7 inches as precipitation Monday left a new layer of snow across mountains of the region. On Monday, Spokane International Airport had 0.44 inches of precipitation. In the past 24 hours, precipitation amounts were in the half-inch range at several locations, including Moses Lake, Deer Park, Coeur d’Alene and Greenacres. Pullman had only 0.06 inches of precipitation on Monday, but rainfall increased there this morning. Some areas of North Idaho, including Rathdrum, Priest River and Sagle, saw precipitation amounts of nearly three-quarters of an inch. At 7 a.m., temperatures were 32 at the airport, 34 in downtown Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, 32 in Deer Park and 36 in Pullman.