Thunderstorms in forecast today, Saturday

A risk of thunderstorms returns to the forecast today, and some of them could be severe, the National Weather Service said. The highest risk later today will be in the mountain areas north of Spokane and in North Idaho. A hazardous weather outlook was issued for the Inland Northwest for the storms. Spokane has a 50 percent chance of showers and possible thunderstorms after 2 p.m. The high today should reach 81. The risk of showers and thunderstorms increases to 80 percent tonight and 70 percent on Saturday. Better weather is expected on Sunday with partly cloudy skies and a 20 percent chance of a shower. Highs over the weekend will be in the middle to upper 70s with lows in the 50s in Spokane. Coeur d’Alene will see an 80 percent chance of thunderstorms tonight and Saturday with highs in the upper 70s and lows in the 50s. Sandpoint also has an 80 percent chance for thunderstorms tonight and Saturday. A storm system is moving south along the West Coast, setting up a southerly flow of moist, warm air across the region. Instabililty within the system could be enough to trigger thunderstorms. Storms in the Cascades could cause debris flows, forecasters said.