Arctic air is getting the boot this weekend from an incoming snowstorm

The worst of the arctic air hugging the Inland Northwest is getting the boot this weekend as an incoming pair of storms brings changes.

National Weather Service forecasters are calling for 3 to 5 inches of snow in Spokane on Saturday night through Sunday night.

Coeur d’Alene could see 3 to 6 inches through Sunday night.

The fresh snow comes on top of the 6 inches on the ground as measured at Spokane International Airport.

This weekend’s storm arrives from two that are expected to merge together.

One storm from the Gulf of Alaska is moving south and is predicted to meet up with subtropical moisture that’s moving northward from Califonia.

The milder air that becomes part of the storm could result in a freezing rain, sleet or rain, mainly south of Spokane.

Mountain areas can expect nothing but snow. Mount Spokane is predicted to get upwards of a foot of snow from Saturday night through Monday night.

The incoming storm will be slow to scour out the cold air hugging the ground across the region, forecasters said.

One more morning of temperatures in the single digits Saturday, will be followed by a high in the middle 20s and a low Saturday night in the lower 20s.

Spokane may see a high of 31 on Sunday and Monday. The normal high for this time of year is 33.

So far this season, the Spokane airport has recorded 26.7 inches of snow, which is just 2 inches above normal for this point in the season.

Spokane has not seen an above-freezing reading since Dec. 29 when the high was 36.