Record heat likely today

Seriously hot weather is settling over the Inland Northwest through this weekend with highs reaching the middle 90s. Sunny skies, light winds and a high of 96 are expected in downtown Spokane today and Friday. Coeur d’Alene should reach 95 through Saturday. Lewiston may reach 100 and Moses Lake could get to 98. Colville is expected to see a high of 97. The record high in Spokane for today is 93, which was set in 1944. Wednesday’s high was 90 at Spokane International Airport. It was 91 at the Spokane airport at 3 p.m. Several cities in the region broke high temperature records on Wednesday, including Moses Lake at 98, Ephrata at 96 and Lacrosse at 99. Colville tied its record at 95. Higher air pressure remains anchored over the region. It is expected to hang in place through the first half of next week. It is holding pollutants close to the ground in Spokane. Good air quality today is expected to deteriorate to the moderately polluted category on Friday due to tiny particles of dust and smoke. Ozone levels are expected to remain in the good range despite the heat and sunlight, which play a role in creating ozone. Temperatures on Sunday and Monday may fall by a few degrees, but remain in the 90s. At 7 a.m., it was 60 at the Spokane airport, 52 at Felts Field, 55 in Coeur d’Alene and 43 in Deer Park.