Sun returns as muggy air moves out

Sunny weather today will be sandwiched between a pair of Pacific cold fronts that already are drying out the atmosphere and bringing more typical conditions for the middle of June. Highs of 81 in Spokane and 80 in Coeur d’Alene are expected, with light south wind and subsiding humidity. Muggy air from a southerly flow Sunday and Monday erupted into slow-moving, wet thunderstorms throughout both days, especially across the northern mountains of Eastern Washington and North Idaho. A trained weather spotter near Northport in Stevens County reported 1.41 inches of rain in about an hour from a thunderstorm on Monday. A weak cold front in the middle elevations this morning is pushing the humid air into Montana, bringing mostly sunny skies to the Inland Northwest. Another cold front this evening is expected to bring clouds and a chance of showers or thunderstorms to mostly mountain areas. Forecasters are calling for breezy conditions on Wednesday, with gusts to about 20 mph out of the southwest in the wake of tonight’s cold front. Highs Wednesday should be in the upper 70s to lower 80s under mostly cloudy skies. The chance of showers continues in mountain areas, but Spokane has a 20 percent chance of seeing precipitation as well. Clouds start to part by evening on Wednesday. The rest of the week should bring relatively dry conditions and seasonal temperatures. Today’s weather signals a change from the past week, when the region was caught in a transition zone between two low-pressure systems in Canada and along the coast of Oregon and California. The southern low pumped moisture into the region over the weekend, resulting in impressive precipitation amounts and flash flood warnings on Monday. A community observer in Newport this morning reported .65 inches of rain in the past 24 hours. Rainfall amounts over the past 24 hours ending this morning varied widely depending on where thunderstorms developed. One location 13 miles northeast of Walla Walla had .86 inches of rain, while another location six miles southwest of the city had no rain. In Idaho, an observer in Priest River had .41 inches of rain. One northeast of Sandpoint saw .55 inches. At 7 a.m., temperatures were mild across the region, with 57 at Spokane International Airport, 60 at Coeur d’Alene Airport, 57 in Sandpoint and 60 in both Cheney and Pullman.