Randy Mann: Region’s rain, cooler temperatures welcome relief

We finally received some rainfall and cooler temperatures last weekend across the Inland Northwest.

Saturday, the airport picked up 0.18 of an inch of rain. That was more than what fell during the entire month of June when Spokane only received 0.06 of an inch of rain. The recent moisture was certainly helpful to area firefighters. Parts of Coeur d’Alene received from 0.25 to 0.37 of an inch.

There’s little doubt that the heat wave from late June into early July was some of the hottest weather this area has recorded. From June 26 through July 10, except for July 5 when it was 88 degrees, each day was at or above 90 degrees at the Spokane International Airport. June 28 was the hottest, hitting 105; June 27 hit 102. The average temperature for June was 71.4, 9.3 degrees above normal. The average high temperature last month was nearly 85 degrees.

As of early this week, the airport has logged 17 days with temperatures at or above 90 degrees for the summer. I do believe we’ll have more afternoons with highs in the 90s before the summer ends, but it’s likely we’ve already seen the hottest for the season.

In terms of moisture, as of Tuesday, 7.02 inches of rain and melted snow had fallen at the airport since Jan. 1. The normal is about 9.25 inches. Last year, we had a near-normal 9.24 inches. In Coeur d’Alene, thanks to the heavy thunderstorm in early June, the total stands at 14.42 inches, close to normal.