Warm weather sticks around

Thursday should be blustery, but the parade of warm summer days will continue into next week.

A low pressure area crossing the region Thursday is expected to stir up the wind and possibly create thunderstorms.

The region has about a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms and showers on Thursday.

As the low exits the region during the day Thursday, it will draw west wind gusts to 26 mph in Spokane.

National Weather Service forecasters said that means that fire risk will be elevated, but conditions will not reach the level needed for a “red flag warning” for fire danger.

Highs will continue in the low 80s through Friday before going to about 88 on Saturday in Spokane.

Coeur d’Alene will drop into the upper 70s on Thursday and Friday and then get to the middle 80s on Saturday.

West wind gusts to 21 mph are expected in the Lake City.

The warmest day of the weekend will be on Sunday, when highs in Spokane will soar to about 92 in the downtown area and 88 in Coeur d’Alene.

In the mountains near Sandpoint, temperatures will rise to the lower 70s on Thursday and Friday before going to the upper 70s on Saturday and lower 80s on Sunday.

On Lake Roosevelt, southwest wind gusts could reach 25 mph on Thursday.

Highs will be in the middle 80s through Friday and then go into the 90s on Saturday and Sunday.

The widespread 90s on Sunday will get ratcheted back to the upper 80s by Monday and Tuesday.

Average temperatures in Spokane for this time of year are 84 for a high and 57 for a low.

July is proving to be a very dry month with only a trace of rain recorded at Spokane International Airport so far – but that’s not too far from normal. On average the month would see approximately one-quarter inch of precipitation through July 18.