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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Mixed weather pattern could bring showers

Heading outdoors this weekend might require rain gear. On the other hand, sunglasses could be in order. With a mixed weather pattern, having both handy is a safe bet.

The only consistency is high temperatures will be close to 70 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; lows are expected to hover around the mid-40s, according to the National Weather Service.

A 20 to 30 percent chance of showers “wouldn’t be worth cancelling any plans this weekend,” said Greg Koch, a Weather Service meteorologist.

The pop-up showers with possible thunder and lightning are expected Saturday and Sunday afternoon or early evening. Saturday has the best chance.

“If you are headed out to the lake or the golf course, it could be dangerous,” Koch said. “Lots of folks are killed by lightning every year.”

So far in 2015, there have been three lightning fatalities in the United States, two in North Carolina and one in Iowa, according the National Weather Service data.

The nationwide average is between 20 and 30 annually.

“Most of them are men,” Koch said. Why? The best guess is men tend to do more activities that put them in situations to be struck by a bolt shooting down from the sky, such as golf, hunting, fishing, boating and motorcycle riding.

Although people might be a little wet, they should be comfortable with a high of 73 on Friday, 70 on Saturday and 71 on Sunday.

“The average high temperature for this time of year is mid-60s,” Koch said. “So, it’s a tad above average.”

If you are curious about the weather that will follow the weekend, well, Koch said “this unsettled pattern will continue through early next week.”