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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Snow lingers in Inland Northwest forecast

A new low pressure area combined with a feed of cold air is keeping the chance of snow going across the Inland Northwest, even though spring is now in its third week and a mild afternoon is expected today. National Weather Service forecasters said the greatest threat of snow will be in the mountains of the Central Panhandle of Idaho initially tonight, but the chances of snow at lower elevations around Spokane and Coeur d’Alene arrives on Wednesday through Friday. The greatest chance of accumulation is Thursday night and Friday morning around Spokane. A winter weather advisory for snow is in effect for the Blue Mountains in southeast Washington, parts of the Palouse region, the Camas Prairie near Lewiston and the mountains of the Central Panhandle. The snow could fall in Silver Valley communities of Shoshone County. Pullman and Moscow, which are included in the advisory, could see 1 to 3 inches of snow on Wednesday. Most of the remaining areas of the Inland Northwest are under a hazardous weather outlook with the exception of the Columbia Basin, which is not expected to see much precipitation. Snow accumulations will likely be light in the Spokane metropolitan area, but may persist for two to three days. Grassy areas would see the first of any accumulation. A low pressure area off the coast of Washington and British Columbia is going to move slowly through the region, bringing the chance of periods of precipitation that could arrive as rain during warmer hours and snow at night and in the early morning. Temperatures this afternoon should rise into the lower 60s as a pulse of mild air moves northward ahead of a broken cold front. Once the front arrives later today, wind gusts will be felt up to 23 mph in Spokane, and then a tenth to a quarter inch of rain may fall tonight. The snow level will drop starting on Wednesday as the cold front brings cooling temperatures. The high on Wednesday should reach 45 with lows at night in the lower 30s. Warmer, spring-like weather is possible early next week, forecasters said.