Weekend Weather: Cool and damp conditions

A new low pressure area migrating southeastward from the Gulf of Alaska is expected to bring a change in weather.

Highs will go from the upper 70s on Wednesday to the upper 50s and lower 60s starting Thursday.

A vigorous cold front was expected to bring the change during the overnight hours on Wednesday.

National Weather Service forecasters said that the “cool and showery weather pattern is expected to persist through the weekend and into the middle of next week” with the heaviest rain likely on Saturday.

Mostly cloudy skies will shield the sun during the period.

The cooler weather will also send temperatures downward at night when lows will mostly be in the 40s but could go as cool as the upper 30s Thursday night.

There is a small chance of thunderstorms across the region Thursday afternoon. The chance of precipitation is about 50 percent. Rainfall of less than a tenth of an inch is expected. Breezy southwest winds should accompany the damp and cooler weather.

The threat of showers continues on Friday.

A greater chance of more rain arrives on Saturday and could be accompanied by thunderstorms.

Heavier amounts of rain moisture are expected to wrap around the low. The band of rain is likely to stall over Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Spokane could see a half inch of rain on Saturday with the overall region seeing from a quarter to three quarters of an inch.

The rain and shower chances will persist into Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

The expected stormy period comes after the average temperature in April was 7.7 degrees above normal. Through Tuesday, May has been running 7.4 degrees above normal.

The warm weather has also been relatively dry. May, which has seen .34 inches of rain through Tuesday, has been nearly a half inch below normal so far.

April was nearly an inch below normal.

The dry spring conditions arrive after the region saw healthy precipitation during last fall and winter.

Since Oct. 1, Spokane has received 13.7 inches of precipitation, which is more than an inch above normal through Tuesday.