Wind advisory issued for Spokane, with gusts expected to reach 50 mph

The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for most of Wednesday in Spokane, with winds expected to reach up to 35 mph and gusts up to 50 mph.

“We have a wind advisory out for the Spokane area and across much of the Columbia Basin,” said meteorologist Jeremy Wolf. “The winds could cause some tree limbs to be snapped off of trees, and we could see a few power outages across the area.”

As of Wednesday morning, Avista reported no power outages in the Spokane area.

The rain that came with the wind is a departure from a dry few months, Wolf said.

“It has been quite a bit drier than normal over the past two to three months, so much of the rain that we’re getting, the ground should absorb that,” Wolf said.

Wolf said the rain should taper off into lighter showers Wednesday afternoon.

A winter weather advisory issued Wednesday morning for the Okanogan Highlands, including Sherman Pass, indicidated the area will likely see a “brief burst of snow,” Wolf said.

Lookout Pass might get a “brief shot” of snow Wednesday as well, but it’s not expected to stick to the road, Wolf said. “For the rest of the week, we’re going to be warming up and drying out.”

The high Wednesday is predicted to be in the low 50s. On Thursday, the forecast calls for a high in the low 60s, with temperatures forecast to continue their climb into the low 70s Friday.

“We’re going to see a quick warm up over the next two days,” Wolf said. “As we go into the weekend, the dry weather is going to continue.”

The weekend is expected to be sunny with highs in the mid-70s to low 80s, Wolf said. But there wil also be some wind.

Northeast winds will likely pick up over the weekend, with 10 to 15 mph winds Saturday and gusts of up to 20 mph. Winds Sunday are expected to be breezier, with gusts as high as 30 mph.