Hot weather keeps summer alive

August continues its warm ways through this weekend with highs in the lower 90s dropping to upper 80s on Saturday through Monday. The high today in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene is expected to be 92. Thursday’s high at Spokane International Airport was 92, making it the warmest day of the year so far. A weak weather disturbance moving through the area today will bring a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms along with some clouds. But the main weather driver is higher air pressure centered to the southeast of the region. The weekend will see more warm weather with highs in the upper 80s. By Tuesday, a change is expected with cooler Pacific Ocean air penetrating east of the Cascades and bringing highs in the upper 70s. Morning temperatures were once again near tropical. At 7 a.m., it was 63 at the Spokane airport and in Coeur d’Alene. Thursday was only the sixth time this year that the high has reached 90 or warmer. The average high today is 81.