Summer heat stays through weekend

A warm, breezy day is forecast for the Inland Northwest in the wake of a storm system that brought clouds and gusty winds to the area on Monday evening. Highs in downtown Spokane and Coeur d’Alene should reach the middle 80s. Both cities should see breezy southwest winds of about 11 mph with Spokane getting some wind gusts to 18 mph, the National Weather Service said. The favorable summer weather mostly continues through the weekend. Highs for the rest of the week will run in the upper 80s to lower 90s. A weak frontal system is expected to slide across the Inland Northwest and create an unstable atmosphere that may produce some thunderstorms. Spokane has a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday night through Thursday night. Areas of southeast Washington are going to have a higher risk of thunderstorms. Today is one of the milder mornings of the summer. At 7 a.m., it was 61 at Spokane International Airport, Coeur d’Alene, Pullman and Deer Park and 64 at Felts Field.