Warm weather this week followed by possible thunderstorms and rising rivers

Hot weather in Spokane flirted with breaking records Sunday.

The temperature reached 82 degrees at the airport by 3:30 p.m. for the first time on April 30 since 1981, according to the National Weather Service.

The warm weather is expected to remain in the region throughout the week but will include a chance for thunderstorms as well, a National Weather Service report said. The thunderstorms have a 20% chance of developing, likely in the afternoon or evening, between Monday and Friday, the weather service said. The storms could bring potentially heavy rainfall and large hail.

Highs are expected to remain in the 70s and 80s in the Spokane area through Thursday, but the weather will cool off slightly as a new weather system moves in Friday through the weekend, said Joey Clevenger, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Spokane.

The possible storms are a result of bands of moisture drifting north from California, Clevenger said.

“As temperatures warm up through the day, it adds a little more of a kicker to jump-start the action in the afternoon,” he said.

The Idaho Panhandle will likely have a greater chance of wet, stormy weather. The Spokane metro area could get it too but not as strong, Clevenger said.

Sandpoint hit a high of 86 degrees on Sunday, which broke the record for April 30, 1957, when it was 79 degrees.

The weather service also advised potential boaters and swimmers to be cautious of the local rivers this week as the warm weather will cause river levels to rise. As a result, the rivers will be colder and have a stronger flow. Local rivers approaching bankfull levels include the Kettle, St. Joe, Coeur d’Alene and Moyie rivers.