Freezing temperatures expected to continue through weekend

Overnight temperatures in Spokane will drop to near zero or below the next three nights, according to the National Weather Service.

“These are bitterly cold, arctic temperatures,” said Miranda Cote, meteorologist at the weather service in Spokane.

The low temperature Monday was 9 degrees, with a high of 14 Tuesday. Those temperatures are about 10 to 15 degrees below average for this time of year, Cote said.

“We are pretty well-below normal,” she said.

The overnight low temperature for Wednesday night is forecast to be 2 degrees, according to the weather service.

There’s a 20% chance of snow after 10 p.m. Wednesday, with wind chill values as low as 6 degrees below zero.

Throughout the rest of the week, high temperatures are forecast to be in the teens, then topping out at 20 on New Year’s Day.

The low overnight Thursday is expected to be zero and drop to 3 below overnight Friday, the weather service said.

Another storm system could blow into town Thursday, potentially bringing an inch of snow to the Spokane area and heavier snow south on the Palouse.

Cote encouraged people to dress in warm layers and keep as much skin as possible covered. Frostbite and hypothermia are possible when exposed to these extreme temperatures for a long time, Cote said.