Highs returning to upper 80s, low 90s

National Weather Service forecasters this morning said the Inland Northwest can expect a few more days of temperatures in the 80s, but a late July warm up is likely coming by this weekend. Highs are expected to reach about 87 in downtown Spokane today with mostly sunny skies and calm wind early and then a light east wind later today. Wednesday should see be a couple of degrees warmer, but Thursday and Friday should come in around 87 in Spokane with Coeur d’Alene temperatures falling within a degree or two of those in Spokane. An amplified high pressure system builds into the region starting Saturday as the strongest upper-level winds shift well northward into Canada, forecasters said. Highs are likely to return to the lower 90s over the weekend and then climb to middle 90s by Monday. Skies should stay sunny. Forecasters said there is a chance that temperatures could climb above the current forecast based on trends seen in computer models. Lows will range from the middle 50s to about 60. Spokane has seen only two days in the 90s so far - 92 on July 9 and 91 on July 11. Monday’s high was 82, which was a degree below normal for Spokane. At 7 a.m., it was 62 at Spokane International Airport, 60 at Felts Field, 57 in Coeur d’Alene, 61 in Deer Park and 57 in Pullman.