Winds gusting with arrival of cold front

The National Weather Service is warning about gusty winds out of the west and southwest to 40 mph through about 6 p.m. A short-term weather forecast was issued late this afternoon. Winds are already gusting in the 35 mph range in portions of the Spokane area. The wind forecast includes the Spokane region and Palouse area to the south. The temperature dropped more than 20 degrees from a high of 73 late this morning in Spokane to 52 at 4 p.m. Forecasters are calling for rain showers tonight and Wednesday with a quarter inch of rain possible in the Spokane area. Heavier rainfall is expected in Northeast Washington and North Idaho to the north of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. Showers and cooler temperatures will persist through the week. The coolest temperatures will bring highs in the lower 50s on Wednesday with a low in the upper 30s Wednesday night. Temperatures will moderate back to the 60s for highs and 40s for lows through the rest of the week and going into Memorial Day weekend.