Hot weather sizzles region again today

Another hot and sunny day is in the forecast, but true to this year’s weather, a low-pressure system is going to bring some changes later today. Highs in downtown Spokane are likely to reach the lower 90s by this afternoon. The National Weather Service is calling for highs of 90 in Liberty Lake and Coeur d’Alene. Winds will pick up this afternoon in response to a low-pressure area moving from the eastern Pacific Ocean into British Columbia. The weather service has issued a red flag warning for fire danger in Spokane, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties and the northeast portion of Lincoln County. A red flag warning is also in effect for the southern Columbia Basin, southeast Washington and the Yakima area. Winds could gust to 23 mph later today and then to 31 mph tonight in Spokane. The strongest winds in Spokane are forecast to blow from 4 to 7 p.m. Stronger winds are expected in the Columbia Basin. Another storm system tracks across the region Wednesday night and Thursday morning, bringing a risk of showers or thunderstorms to mountain areas of the region, including the Blue and Clearwater mountain areas. Lightning could trigger fires, forecasters said. Saturday may bring yet another low pressure system to raise fire danger. The relative humidity in recent days has been bone dry. It dropped to 9 percent during the warmest part of the day on Saturday and to 11 percent on Sunday. Temperatures will fall about five degrees Tuesday and then rebound to the lower 90s on Wednesday and Thursday. Cooler temperatures may arrive next week. Sunday’s high was 91 at Spokane International Airport, only the fifth day this year that the temperature has reached 90 degrees or warmer. At 7 a.m., it was 61 degrees at the airport, 59 at Felts Field and Coeur d’Alene and 50 in Deer Park.