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Friday was coldest day in Spokane in two years; more bitter cold Saturday and snow next week

Aaron Scott puts his hockey skills to the test as he uses a pair of sticks to slide, from left, Colton Fisch, 5, Winnie Scott, 4, Graeme Scott, 6, and Darby Quinn, 4, across the frozen Cannon Hill Park pond during the freezing temperatures of Thursday afternoon, Feb. 11, 2021, in Spokane. (Dan Pelle/THESPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
Aaron Scott puts his hockey skills to the test as he uses a pair of sticks to slide, from left, Colton Fisch, 5, Winnie Scott, 4, Graeme Scott, 6, and Darby Quinn, 4, across the frozen Cannon Hill Park pond during the freezing temperatures of Thursday afternoon, Feb. 11, 2021, in Spokane. (Dan Pelle/THESPOKESMAN-REVIEW)Buy a print of this photo
By Maggie Quinlan maggieq@spokesman.com(509) 459-5135

As much of the United States is caught in a bitterly cold polar vortex, Spokane counted its coldest temperature in almost two years early Friday morning .

The cold is coming from the arctic, said meteorologist Mark Turner at the National Weather Service in Spokane. The freezing dome of air is sagging down over the middle of the country, he said.

March 4, 2019 was the last day Spokane reached temperatures as low as Friday ‘s 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. stint at 9 degrees Fahrenheit, Turner said. Around midnight, wind chill clocked in at -10 in Spokane.

Not considering wind chill, Priest Lake measured minus 13 Fahrenheit Friday night, while Bonners Ferry measured minus 2.

“The area we’re concerned about overnight – Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint – hasn’t really recovered from their cold,” Turner said.

In Bonners Ferry, Turner predicted a low of 2 with wind chills as low as minus 25 Friday night.

Spokane was expected to be quite cold Friday and Saturday night, but not as extreme as Thursday night. The forecast calls for lows around 10 to 12 degrees with highs in the mid 20s.

Spokane has it comparatively easy, Turner said, as another weather system brings moisture southward and with it snowfall. While Spokane normally gets more snow than Lewiston, this week roles have reversed, he said. Lewiston has already gotten 2 inches of snow during the especially cold weather and can expect another 3 inches or so before Sunday.

Spokane might get a light dusting, Turner said, but not the light to moderate snow hitting much of the state, from Wenatchee to Tri-Cities and along the West Side.

“Portland is getting clobbered right now, and south of Seattle,” Turner said. “They’ve had a huge ice storm, a lot of trees down and super hazardous travel.”

Sunday should start to warm the Inland Northwest as the trough of cold air over the United States moves along, according to the National Weather Service forecast discussion. Temperatures will be lower than normal for this time of year, but 5 to 10 degrees higher than the previous days.

Sunday night also could bring some snow stretching into Monday, according to the forecast.

Tuesday and Wednesday will bring a break from precipitation before potential snow or rain later in the week. By the end of the week, the forecast predicts highs into the upper 30s and low 40s.