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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Brrr … Warm May gives way to cool June, but temperatures expected to heat up

Temperatures overnight Sunday in the Spokane area did something they didn’t do the entire month of May.

A low temperature of 39 degrees was reported at Spokane International Airport, with similar conditions expected Monday. That follows an unusually warm May, which may be enforcing the idea that it was a bit nippy this past weekend.

“It’s been quite the reversal. Because we had such a warm May, our cool-down seemed even more extreme,” said Bryce Williams, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service based in Spokane. Temperatures eclipsed 80 degrees six times in May, twice as much as normal, and the average temperature was six degrees warmer than what we usually see in May, Williams said.

A freeze warning has been issued for areas north of Deer Park, with damage to sensitive plants possible before 7 a.m. Tuesday. That includes sections of the northern Idaho panhandle.

The cool weather won’t stick around. Heat is expected in the Inland Northwest beginning early next week, with high temperatures in the 90s – 30 degrees warmer than Monday afternoon’s highs – possible.

“There’s a good chance next week that we’ll be talking about, ‘Why is it so hot?’” Williams said. “This is probably one of our last ‘cold snaps’ of the summer.”