Rainfall approaches double the monthly average

Halfway through the month of June, Spokane already has had nearly twice as much rain as the average for the whole month.

There have been reports of flooding near Newport, Potlatch and Lapwai, said Dan Butler, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

The weather service issued flood warnings Monday for the Pend Oreille River below Albeni Falls and the Palouse River near Potlatch. Extensive flooding of the low-lying areas between Potlatch and Palouse is expected.

The weather service also issued an advisory for minor flooding in Spokane, Whitman and Kootenai counties. Minor flooding is expected in low-lying and poor drainage areas. The advisory is in effect until 3 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The forecast shows the weather will warm up and dry out over the next couple days, Butler said. More storm systems are expected to start Friday – mainly thunderstorms with less rain.