Weekend weather: Region can expect to see brief gasp of winter over next week

A slight chance of rain and snow arrives across the Inland Northwest today and Friday, but don’t expect much.

A dry northwesterly flow in the upper atmosphere is going to generate a couple of weak storm impulses in the next two days, forecasters said.

However, most of the precipitation from them will be going into the southern Cascades and areas to the south and west.

The Spokane and North Idaho region will be on the outer edges of the disturbances.

Clouds and a couple of nights of moderating overnight temperatures are likely with this modest change.

The colder northerly flow is expected to reestablish itself by Friday night and Saturday. Gusty northeast winds are possible Saturday afternoon along with a reappearance of sunshine.

Highs in Spokane will go to the middle 40s today and Friday, dropping to the low 40s over the weekend. Lows will be near 30 tonight, 27 on Friday night and near 20 by Saturday night.

Coeur d’Alene temperatures will track a few degrees cooler.

In the mountains, the only chance for any snow accumulation – and it won’t be much – will be over the mountains near Kellogg and Lookout Pass, as well as mountains farther to the south.

The forecast for the mountains above the Silver Valley calls for less than a half inch of snow today and tonight with up to an inch on Friday.

After Sunday, there is a chance for another round of precipitation.

“The next weather disturbance will arrive early next week, dropping in from the north on Monday and has the potential for a brief gasp of winter,” according to Wednesday’s forecast discussion from the National Weather Service office in Spokane.