Mild weather to linger through work week

Sunny or mostly sunny skies and mild daytime temperatures are expected through the work week, according to the National Weather Service. Highs in Spokane will reach the upper 60s today with lows staying well above freezing through the week. Lows should drop to the upper 30s to 40. A weak weather system is crossing the region today, and could cause an increase in northerly winds later today. That system has also brought a new surge of smoky air into the Spokane region. This morning’s air quality deteriorated to the moderate level with an air index reading of 64. A high pressure area that has anchored along the West Coast since September is expected to weaken by Saturday and increase the chance of the first precipitation in weeks. A cooler flow of moist air is expected off the ocean next week, but computer forecast models are not clear on how much of a change that will bring, forecasters said this morning. The last measureable rain at Spokane International Airport was on Aug. 21.