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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Weather: Late April likely to be wetter than usual

The early part of the week was very pleasant across the Inland Northwest. Temperatures warmed to above normal levels on Monday with sunshine and late afternoon clouds. However, it appears we’re moving into a wetter weather pattern. As of early this week, the long-range computer models were pointing to increasing showers and thunderstorms across the region, especially in late April.

From late April until early June, precipitation is expected to be above normal with occasional rain and thunderstorms. But, there will be days with sunny skies and mild to warm temperatures. June could start out with some late-season freezes, especially in the higher mountains.

The very warm to hot weather should arrive in late June and continue until August. We should have at least 20 days above 90 degrees with, perhaps, a day or two at or above 100 degrees. All in all, it should be a great summer across the Inland Empire, assuming we don’t see too many wildfires.

As for the rest of the U.S., that big ridge of high pressure that’s going to give us the very warm and mostly dry weather, will expand across the entire West Coast and eastward into the central U.S. That’s not good news for California, the Southwest and southern U.S. Great Plains where drought conditions are severe to extreme. As of early April, the snowpack in California’s Sierra Nevada was about 35 to 38 percent of normal, despite the heavier moisture totals in March.

The high pressure system will also extend the drought conditions in Oklahoma and Texas where some of the wheat crops have failed due to lack of water. High temperatures during the summer in that part of the country should be near 110 degrees.

The wet areas in the U.S. this summer should be across the Ohio Valley, the Gulf Coast and much of the East Coast as moisture rotates around the big high pressure ridge. The hurricane season will likely see normal or slightly above normal storm numbers, with a possibility of a hurricane or two that track up the East Coast in August and September.