Warm weather stays through Wednesday

Enjoy the warm weather while you can. The first three days of this week should see highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s, but after Wednesday, summer-like weather is going to slowly slip away. Clouds over the region this morning were coming from a weak low-pressure system that moved across the Pacific Northwest Friday night and Saturday, but has stalled over southern Idaho and is circulating cloud moisture north and westward into North Idaho and extreme Eastern Washington. Forecasters this morning said that temperatures should fall steadily as another low-pressure system now in the Gulf of Alaska moves onshore starting on Wednesday night or Thursday, and the cooling trend will likely continue through Labor Day. A cold front on Wednesday evening or early Thursday could be accompanied by lightning, and meteorologists said fire danger remains high across the region. Wind gusts could be in the 15 to 25 mph range, according to forecaster John Livingston. Highs will drop from the 80s to upper 60s and lower 70s by Sunday. Clouds and a slight chance of showers are expected this weekend. The cool weather should be most pronounced at higher elevations where overnight lows could fall into the 30s. Snow levels are expected to fall to 6,000 feet of elevation or lower, forecasters said this morning. The high pressure ridge that has dominated the weather for much of this summer is expected to slide eastward in response to a low-pressure system out of the Gulf of Alaska later this week, but strong storm activity is not expected under the latest computer forecast models. Today, highs are expected to be 87 at Spokane International Airport, 89 downtown, 88 in Spokane Valley and Post Falls and 87 in Coeur d’Alene. Lows for the next several days should remain mild in the upper 50s and lower 60s. The high Sunday at the airport was 85. The normal high for the end of August is 79. At 7 a.m., the temperature was 63 at the airport and Coeur d’Alene, 55 in Sandpoint, 56 in Deer Park and 61 in Pullman.