Warmer days ahead

Winds gusted to 41 mph at Spokane International Airport and waves of snow pellets, called graupel, coursed through Coeur d’Alene on Monday as the latest spring cold front moved across the Inland Northwest.

National Weather Service forecasters said an extended spring warm-up starts Wednesday. It should last through Bloomsday and into next week to coax an abundance of May flowers.

Forecasters warn the rising temperatures may bring the region’s rivers to flood stage.

Monday was the third consecutive day of windy conditions across the region. Gusts peaked at 39 mph on Saturday and 36 mph on Sunday at the airport.

Winds were clocked at 55 mph on the Lakeview ridge at Schweitzer Mountain Resort in North Idaho. Heavy rain was reported at 10 a.m. in Sandpoint.

The high temperature at the airport was 52 degrees, which is nine degrees below normal.

Frost is possible again tonight in the wake of the newest cold front. A freeze warning was issued Monday for growing areas of the Yakima Valley.

After tonight, the weather slowly warms through the week, from a high of 60 on Wednesday to the lower and middle 70s over the weekend under sunny skies.

A high pressure area that has been anchored off the Pacific Coast is expected to move over the Pacific Northwest, bringing sunshine and the warmer air.

The eight- to 14-day outlook for May 6-12 is calling for above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation, although computer forecasts are not consistent in depicting fair weather next week.