High winds expected early Wednesday morning

Strong, potentially damaging gusts of wind and moderate rainfall are expected in the Spokane region Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Starting late Tuesday night and lasting until early Wednesday morning, Spokane and surrounding regions can expect wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph, said Miranda Cote, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Spokane office. Afterwards, wind speeds should peter off, but remain breezy for the rest of the week.

On Thursday, Cote said Spokane residents can expect wind speeds to remain between 20 and 30 mph.

“The mountains are probably going to get pretty significant snow (on Thursday),” Cote said. “But the Spokane area itself is looking only to see minimal snow amounts at this point.”

In the immediate future, wind speeds, which Cote said have the potential to exceed 70 mph in the Palouse region, should cause residents to take the appropriate precautions.

“Right now we have wind advisories for this afternoon and tonight (Monday),” Cote said. “Then the high wind watch for Tuesday evening through Wednesday. People just need to be aware of the potential for power outages and be prepared for damage and what could be a pretty significant system that could really impact the area.”

Forecasts as of Monday evening showed gusts topping 50 mph in Spokane from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesday. Around the same time gusts are expected to top 65 mph in Pullman.

Cote said on Thursday morning there may be some mixed snow and rain, but as the day wears on, it will turn into mostly rain. For the remainder of the week, a quarter of an inch to half an inch of rain is expected daily.

Expected rain is not conducive to destructive floods, like what most of Western Washington has been forced to endure. Still, Cote said the main rivers around Spokane will see rises, but no major flooding is expected.

“There is the Coeur d’Alene River, near Cataldo, heading into the Panhandle, that hit moderate flood stage at the end of last week, and could push up towards minor flood stage towards the end of this week,” Cote said.

Katelyn Scott, the water protector for the Spokane River Keeper, said the United States Geological Survey gauges they use measured the current flow of the Spokane River at 18,000 to 19,000 cubic feet per second. The typical flow for this time of year is between 3,000 and 4,000 cubic feet per second. With more rain forecasted for this week, the current water flow is expected to rise slightly.

Because of the uncharacteristically intense water levels, the effect on salmon, and more specifically their reproductive cycle, is currently unknown. Scott said the high flows could flush spawning beds, but they won’t know for certain until springtime. What is known for certain is that if it continues to rain and not snow, then the river will experience lower water levels this summer, Scott said.

Areas with poor drainage or places that are susceptible to pond forming can expect some standing water because of the rain this week, but it’s not expected to be anything like the floods on the west side of the state, Cote said. Similarly, because storm drains are connected to the Spokane River, Scott is urging residents to try and keep storm drains clean of contaminants, as it helps insulate the Spokane River from any unwanted pollutants.

Normal temperature highs for this time of year are typically around 33 degrees , Cote said. But on Monday, the expected high is 54 to 55 degrees . The temperature is supposed to reach a high of 45 degrees on Wednesday. The following day, temperatures are expected to hover around 40 degrees and remain in that range for the rest of the week, Cote said.