Here comes the sun, at least for the weekend in Spokane

It was 4:40 a.m. Jan. 14 the last time anyone could see the sky from the ground at Spokane International Airport.

But changing weather patterns are expected to give relief to the Inland Northwest on Friday.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for clear skies on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The reappearance of the sun will drive down the temperature as the heat-trapping clouds disappear.

“The sun will come at a cost of lower night-time temperatures,” said Daniel Butler, National Weather Service meteorologist.

Spokane’s gloomy January has been warmer than normal.

The average temperature so far this month (considering the highs and lows each day) was 33 degrees through Jan. 20; that’s 4 degrees higher than normal.

Low temperatures are expected to dip into the teens Thursday through Sunday nights. Highs during the day will be in the lower 30s.

The official low temperature has only hit the teens once so far this year, on Dec. 15.

Clear skies will not do anything to help with the low snowpack in the region. The snow gauge at Quartz Peak, which is near Mount Spokane, shows that levels on the mountain on Wednesday were less than a third of normal. Most other Inland Northwest snow gauges also show low snow levels.