Freezing fog giving way to partly sunny skies

Fog has formed across a broad swath of the Inland Northwest from Coeur d’Alene westward through the upper Columbia Basin. Where temperatures are in the upper 20s, the fog is freezing to roadways making for treacherous driving conditions, forecasters said. The fog is likely in Davenport, Wilbur, Odessa, Ritzville and Reardan as well as the Interstate 90 and U.S. Highway 2 corridors west of Spokane. The return of foggy weather signals the arrival of higher air pressure and more stable atmospheric conditions that allow for rapid cooling at night at the same time the atmosphere contains relatively high amounts of moisture. Fog should start dissipating by 10 a.m. across the region, giving way to partly sunny skies and highs in the lower 40s in the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas. Lows tonight should drop to the mid-20s with a rebound on Thursday to the lower 40s with partly sunny weather. A weak Pacific storm flow moves into the area by Friday, raising the chance of rain or snow to the 20- to 40-percent range from Friday through Sunday. Snow is possible during cool night and morning periods. Highs are expected to continue in the lower 40s with lows in the upper 20s to lower 30s. At 7 a.m., it was 29 at Spokane International Airport and downtown Spokane, 27 in Coeur d’Alene, 30 in Deer Park and 34 in Pullman.