Forget weekend sunshine; more rain in forecast

Just as the latest storm moves out of the Inland Northwest this morning, forecasters are saying that a shift in the weather pattern is going to bring even more rain this weekend through Monday. Rainfall totals in Spokane could range from a quarter to a half inch, helping boost what has already become a damp September despite the heat wave earlier in the month. The National Weather Service today issued an outlook for rising streams in the mountains of Northeast Washington and North Idaho from an expected inch or two of rain over the weekend. Spokane International Airport has seen more than two-thirds of an inch of rain this month, which is more than the normal amount of a half inch through Wednesday. A northerly flow currently is bringing cool weather to the region along with a chance of frost tonight in outlying valleys, forecasters said, but sunny weather is expected today. The low in Spokane will be about 40 tonight. Upper-level steering winds are expected to shift direction to bring a moist flow and storm systems out of the southwest over the weekend. The storms are expected to draw subtropical moisture northward, increasing potential accumulations. Wind gusts to 23 mph in Spokane and higher in the Columbia Basin may arrive with the weather change on Friday. A warm front should bring rain on Saturday and Sunday, but then the moisture tap sends another shot of rain on Monday. Strong winds are possible again on Saturday night and Sunday. The Cascades could see 3 to 4 inches of rain. Temperatures will be relatively mild with highs in the lower 60s and lows in the upper 40s. The normal high today in Spokane is 69 with a normal low of 44.