Northerly flow bringing clear skies

A shift in the weather pattern over the Inland Northwest is bringing crisp sunny weather today under a northerly flow that is expected to intensify with deepening cold this weekend. High temperatures today through Saturday are expected to remain in the 30s with lows at night in the 20s. The northerly flow contains enough dry air to prevent the build up of fog and stratus clouds that appeared across the region on Monday, forecasters said. High air pressure along the West Coast is sending storm impulses well north of the region into Alaska and Canada. The weather system is a change from the steady parade of Pacific storms dating back to mid-October. A weak weather disturbance is expected to run into the high pressure on Friday and bring a 20 percent chance of snow to the region. The high on Friday should reach the upper 30s. The deepest cold is expected to arrive on Saturday night and Sunday when lows drop to the teens. The high on Sunday may remain in the mid-20s. The flow of cold air could be accompanied by gusty winds this weekend, forecasters said. The dry northern air was showing up on weather observations with dew points in the teens this morning in the Spokane region. At 7 a.m., it was 28 at Spokane International Airport, 32 in downtown Spokane, 27 in Coeur d’Alene, 21 in Deer Park and 31 in Pullman.