Rain coming later today

Clearing at dawn today is going to give way to another wet storm system in the region. The National Weather Service said more rain should cross the Inland Northwest today with snow expected at higher elevations. Five inches of snow was reported this morning at Schweitzer ski area and 6 inches at Lookout Pass and 49 Degrees North ski areas. Dense patchy fog is being reported this morning in the Columbia Basin near Moses Lake along Interstate 90 and in the Yakima Valley where visibilities had dropped below a quarter mile. The chance of rain today is 60 percent. Valley rain and mountain snow is expected to continue tonight with the chance of precipitation at 70 percent. High temperatures today should reach the upper 40s with lows tonight remaining above freezing in the middle 30s. Saturday may bring a break in storm systems before another shot of moisture arrives on Sunday and Sunday night. Another weak storm is projected to arrive on Tuesday. Mild weather is expected to continue next week with sunny weather and highs near 50 after Tuesday. A southwesterly flow along the western U.S. was bringing milder air into the region this morning, a trend expected to continue through next week. At 7 a.m., it was 39 at Spokane International Airport and Coeur d’Alene, 42 in downtown Spokane, 36 in Deer Park and 38 in Pullman. The airport had 0.17 inches of rain for the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m.