Clouds today to go away; heat returns by Sunday

A weak weather system dropping south out of Canada is bringing clouds across the Inland Northwest today and a chance of thunderstorms late this afternoon along the Canadian border. The northern weather system is drawing slightly cooler air southward with highs today and Friday approaching the middle 80s. The chance of thunderstorms near the border is at its greatest about 5 p.m. as a minor disturbance moves quickly across the area and into Montana. That will set up a northerly flow for Friday with dry air and seasonable temperatures. By Saturday, a high pressure area over the desert southwest forms and begins to send warmer air northward over the weekend. Saturday should reach 88 in Spokane with Sunday and Monday rising to 94 degrees for highs. The warm up continues on Tuesday and Wednesday with highs near 90. The pattern that brought thunderstorms to the region last month re-establishes itself in the middle of nest week with high pressure to the south and a low offshore. That will create a southerly to southwesterly flow and open the possibility of increased moisture in the atmosphere. For now, forecasters do not see a risk of thunderstorms and are calling for sunny to mostly sunny skies through Monday and during the day on Tuesday. The average high today in Spokane is 86 with an average low of 58.