Temperatures to rise to upper 90s

The first major hot spell of the summer is moving toward the Inland Northwest today with highs approaching the century mark on Sunday through Tuesday. The National Weather Service this morning issued a special statement warning of the early-season heat. Forecasters said some areas of the region could see highs approaching 110 degrees, but those areas would most likely be to the south and southwest of Spokane. Today will remain relatively seasonal with a high of 73 and a 40 percent chance for scattered showers. Then, highs go to 81 on Thursday, 89 on Friday, 96 on Saturday, 97 on Sunday, 98 on Monday and 99 on Tuesday. Lows will rise to the middle 60s during the period. A monster area of higher air pressure is expected to build northward from the desert southwest, a pattern that typically brings the hottest weather during the summer. Hot spells are common in the Inland Northwest starting about the first of July or shortly after that, but this one will mark an extreme change from temperatures in the 50s and 60s on several days in the past two weeks.