Winter refuses to bow out

This is the time of year when lower elevation temperatures start to turn more spring-like, but winter hangs on in the mountains.

The weekend weather is shaping up pretty nicely with mostly to partly sunny skies across the eastern Columbia Basin into the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas where highs should bump the 50-degree mark in Spokane. Overnight lows are going to be in the upper 20s to 30s.

In urban areas around Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls, temperatures will be a few degrees cooler and the sky will have a few more clouds.

The forecast will be much the same for the central basin and Palouse with slightly warmer temperatures to the west and slightly cooler temperatures to the south of Spokane.

In the mountains, a cool northwesterly flow should bring great skiing conditions, but there is a risk of snow showers higher up in the mountains and rain or snow on lower mountain slopes. Sun may show at times through clouds gathering.

A weak system may brush across far North Idaho Sunday raising a 20 percent chance of rain or even snow showers depending on elevation.