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Winter is coming, again: Arctic blast expected on Tuesday

Gusty winds are expected across the Inland Northwest on Monday night and into Tuesday. The winds will be worse south of Interstate 90. (Courtesy of National Weather Service)
By Quinn Welsch quinnw@spokesman.com(509) 459-5469

Another round of winter weather is expected to blow into the Inland Northwest this week, starting on Monday night and lasting into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Heavy snowfall in the mountains as well as gusty, westerly winds are expected across the region on Monday and into Tuesday. Wind will be more severe south of Interstate 90, reaching 50-60 mph on the Palouse and 45-50 mph between Ellensburg and Ritzville, the weather service said.

A wind advisory is in place for much of the Palouse from 7 p.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Monday.

The winds will shift on Tuesday as an arctic air mass moves the winds from west to northeast, bringing much colder temperatures and a likelihood of blowing snow through the rest of the week.

“The area could see some drifting snow or icy road conditions or flash freezing, so that Tuesday evening or Wednesday commuters could be impacted,” Joey Clevenger, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Spokane, said.

Lowland snow is also expected on Tuesday along with another round of snow in the mountains. Temperatures are expected to dip to 15 degrees on Tuesday night and will remain below freezing through Friday.

“Spokane can perhaps get a couple inches out of that,” Clevenger said.

A winter storm watch was issued for areas of Kootenai and Shoshone counties in Idaho through Tuesday night. Lookout Pass could get anywhere from 9 to 18 inches of snow through Monday, forecasters said.

Spokane is expected to reach a high of 19 degrees with a low of 9 on Thursday, marking the coldest it’s been on Feb. 23 since 1910, Clevenger said. The temperatures that day also hit a high of 19 and a low of 9.

Normal temperatures for Feb. 23 in Spokane over the past 30 years range between a low of 27 and a high of 42, according to the weather service.

Wind chills on Thursday could bring temperatures between minus 5 and minus 15 throughout the region, the weather service said.

High temperatures aren’t expected to surpass freezing until Saturday, the weather service said.