Spring sunshine to bring mild afternoon

Pleasant sunny weather today will give Inland Northwest residents a reason to believe that spring has not gone south this year. Highs in the lower 60s are expected in the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene area. A cool and dry air mass overhead created an especially blue sky this morning. But the milder weather is barely reaching the normal high for this time of year, and the forecast through the weekend is calling for a return to cool and showery weather in what has become one of the coolest and wettest springs on record. The average high for today in Spokane is 63 while the forecasted high for today is 62 in the downtown area. Another Pacific storm system should arrive in the region after 11 a.m. on Thursday and bring a 40 percent chance of showers during the afternoon. Winds could gust to 22 mph on Thursday and Thursday night. The cool weather continued through the weekend with increasing chances of showers on Friday night through Sunday. Temperatures will be relatively mild compared to last month when snow was a common sight. Highs will run in the upper 50s with lows in the lower 40s. After about Tuesday, there are indications in computer forecasts of a change in weather that could replace the cool and showery regime of recent months with a milder version of this damp spring.