Weekend weather: Arctic cold to give way to more snow

The latest arctic blast is going to give way this weekend to a return of snow and possibly a mix of sleet, rain and freezing rain with only rain possible by Monday.

Early morning temperatures on Thursday should be the coldest of the current arctic spell with lows near or below zero.

The arctic air will linger into the weekend, but temperatures are expected to moderate each day, with mostly sunny to partly sunny skies through Saturday when the high is expected to reach 25 in Spokane.

A new Pacific storm should make its presence known by Saturday night with a likelihood of snow falling through the day on Sunday.

The Pacific low pressure system out of the Gulf of Alaska is going to be strong enough to tap into subtropical moisture from offshore of California.

That could cause a swath of milder air to cross into the region and change snow to rain in some locales or a mixed bag of snow, rain, freezing rain and sleet.

Areas to the south of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene have the greatest chances of mixed precipitation or rain, including south-central Washington, southeast Washington and the central Idaho Panhandle.

The high on Sunday in Spokane is expected to reach 33, which is just one degree above normal for early January.

Moderate amounts of precipitation are possible, which could raise the avalanche risk in mountains.

Ski resorts, which manage avalanche risk, are likely to see a liberal new coating of snow.

Rain is expected on Monday in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene when highs reach the middle 30s. Snow is likely on Tuesday.

So far this season, Spokane has received 23.4 inches of snow, which is 7.4 inches above normal.

In the mountains, no rain is expected. Current snow amounts are good across the region. Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park has 4 feet of snowpack at the summit.

Lookout Pass has the deepest snowpack among the region’s resort areas with 118 inches on the summit.