Weekend weather: Another big storm headed into region

Another potent Pacific storm system is arriving in the Inland Northwest on Thursday with a mix of snow and rain.

This time, the storm is going to sweep up enough mild air to send highs into the lower 50s in Spokane on Friday.

The last time Spokane saw a high of 50 or above was on Nov. 26.

Temperatures should remain in the upper 40s for highs as stormy weather continues off and on from Saturday into early next week.

Snow could fall in lower elevations on Thursday before the milder air takes over.

Mountain areas, which have been getting pounded with snow lately, are likely to see additional accumulation above 4,000 to 5,000 feet although some of it could be of the heavy wet variety.

The National Weather Service is calling for breezy and gusty winds on Friday, which should accelerate snow melt in lower elevations. Gusts could reach as high as 41 mph on Thursday night and Friday in Spokane.

The milder temperatures are likely to trigger melting in both valley and lower mountain elevations. The chances of local flooding are predicted along the state Highway 20 corridor in Washington and other locations, forecasters said.

In the mountains, Lookout Pass was the most recent winner for snowfall with 20 inches of new snow in the 24 hours ending Wednesday morning.

The ski area has 144 inches at its summit and 124 inches at its base.

The deepest ski snowpack in the region is at 49 Degrees North where snow has piled to 177 inches in depth. However, that area got only 3 inches of new snow on Wednesday morning.

Other downhill areas have smaller snow depths, but no less than 5 to 6 feet of snowpack on their lower slopes.

In Spokane, the average temperatures for this time of year are 46 for a high and 29 for a low.