Rain likely to fall through evening hours

Rain arriving in Spokane about noon is expected to continue across the region through 10 p.m. Rain was falling earlier today in Central Washington and the Columbia Basin where any precipitation is welcome for a region that has below normal precipitation so far this year. National Weather Service forecasters said the precipitation most likely will fall as snow at higher elevations with periods of snow and rain are possible depending on elevation. Cooler air over the weekend should cause snow levels to drop. Today’s storm includes moisture from a tropical depression earlier this week in the western Pacific Ocean. An occluded cold front is expected by later tonight. As a result, the weekend forecast calls for showers and a chance of thunderstorms as colder air arrives in the upper atmosphere. Snow levels in the mountains should start to drop to lower elevations as the cooler air moves over the region this weekend. Snow packs may see several inches to a foot of new accumulation by Sunday night. The stormy weather is expected to ease next week with highs pushing into the upper 50s by Monday and Tuesday in Spokane. Precipitation is expected at the end of next week.