Weekend weather: It’s only going to get hotter, but not that much

Forecasters said this month’s hot, dry weather will continue well into next week with temperatures creeping upward on Saturday and Sunday.

Higher air pressure is seen building along the western U.S. and is expected to hold any storms at bay while increasing the heat.

The weekend starts out on Thursday and Friday with highs in the lower 90s followed by mid-90 highs on Saturday and Sunday.

Thursday may also see an increase in humidity, making the hot weather seem hotter on the skin.

Conditions are likely to return to bone-dry humidity on Friday. Earlier this week, the relative humidity dropped to as low as 12 percent.

Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint won’t be quite as hot as Spokane. Highs will start out in the upper 80s on Thursday and Friday and then go to 90 on Saturday and 93 on Sunday.

On Lake Coeur d’Alene and Lake Pend Oreille, light winds from the south up to 8 mph are expected on Thursday, with even lighter winds through the weekend.

In the mountains near Sandpoint at an elevation of 4,000 feet, temperatures should reach into the upper 70s on Thursday and Friday and rise to the lower 80s on Saturday and Sunday.

To the west on Lake Roosevelt of the Columbia River, highs should run well into the 90s with Saturday the hottest at 96 and Sunday getting to 95.

Southwest winds to 11 mph are likely through Thursday at Lake Roosevelt and then easing through the weekend with single-digit speeds on the lake.

Through Wednesday, Spokane has gone 28 days without measurable rainfall.

July is likely to end on Monday without any measurable rain, something that has happened in 15 other Julys since records began in 1881.

The average high in Spokane for this time of year is 86 with an average low of 58. Through Wednesday, this month was averaging 4.7 degrees above normal.