Weather

The Inland Northwest continues to get a reprieve from wintry weather, despite forecasts that it might be on the way.

Autumn is turning over a new leaf this week with cooler temperatures and a chance of snow entering the forecast by this week.

Higher elevation clouds are expected to move across the Inland Northwest today from a change in weather that will bring rain on Sunday and colder temperatures next week.

A golden sunrise greeted early-morning commuters in the Spokane region today, and forecasters said the clear skies would bring another afternoon of November warmth.

Higher air pressure across the Inland Northwest is going to continue to bring sunny and mild weather today.

A high of 57 under mostly sunny skies is expected today with lows tonight in the middle 30s.

A frontal system drawing deep moisture from tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean is moving toward the Inland Northwest today.

Despite the past few dreary, rainy days, trick-or-treaters might actually stay dry this year as they collect their Halloween bounty. There is a chance of scattered showers this morning, but meteorologist Rocco Pelatti said the system would probably pass before it’s time for trick-or-treaters to take to the streets.

When you feel the wind outside blowing, what you’re feeling is the movement of air from high to low pressure. It is the same concept whether it is a gentle breeze, stiff winds behind a cold front, damaging winds from a tornado, or gale force winds from a hurricane. The strength of the wind is directly proportional to the pressure gradient, or the change in air pressure over a distance.

Forecasting the weather in E. Washington...

The forecast for 6 p.m. on Sunday is calling for a temperature of 48 degrees and a 13 percent chance of showers lingering from a rain storm that is expected to exit the region Sunday afternoon.

Dry but cloudy weather may give way to light rain later today, forecasters said. A weak storm system off the coast of California is spreading higher clouds across the Inland Northwest.

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, we now have a La Niña, the cooler-than-normal, sea-surface temperatures phenomenon in the south-central Pacific Ocean. For the last several months, this La Niña has been classified as moderate, but has recently shown signs of strengthening after hints of weakening in early October. In addition to the cooler ocean waters, solar activity continues to be low, but sunspot numbers have been increasing over the last few weeks, which may indicate that the sun is becoming more active in terms of solar storms and energy output.

A winter storm warning for the mountains of North Idaho this morning was allowed to lapse as the first major snowfall of the season began to taper off.

Rain and breezy winds are expected to continue today in lower elevations while snow begins to blow in mountain areas above 4,000 feet in elevation.

The sunny side of autumn is going away today to be replaced by clouds and rain this weekend. National Weather Service forecasters said clouds are likely today with a high of 59.