Thunderstorms usher in weather change

Thunderstorms have moved northward from southeast Washington and the Central Panhandle and are expected to spread into the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas tonight and Saturday. The storms are the start of a major weather change that will see temperatures drop to the middle and low 80s over the weekend. National Weather Service forecasters issued a red flag warning for fire danger across parts of the Inland Northwest, including the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas. Lightning strikes and gusty winds are possible from the storms. Late Friday afternoon, one of the storms was spotted on radar between Colfax and Rosalia. A flash-flood watch was issued for southeast Washington and the central Idaho Panhandle, including Shoshone County, for the possibility that slow-moving storms would have a chance to dump large quantities of rain and possibly hail. Much of the region has 30 to 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms tonight. In Spokane, the storms are expected after 11 p.m. The chance of showers or thunderstorms rises to 50 percent on Saturday in Spokane. The shower threat continues through Saturday, but Sunday should be partly sunny. A chance of showers returns for Monday and Tuesday. Winds are expected to shift to blow from the south or southwest, which should help clear the wildfire smoke that has settled over the area. Two low pressure areas - one from California and another from the Gulf of Alaska - are expected to move through the region in succession. The Alaska low is likely to linger over the area early next week. The moderating temperatures come after the region saw 17 days of highs at 90 degrees or hotter going back to June. The string includes a 105 degree reading on June 28 that set a record for the month. That was also the hottest temperature in Spokane since 1961 when the all-time high of 108 was tied.