SPOKANE, Wash. — Snow is in the forecast this weekend. By Monday morning, much of the Inland Northwest could wake up to a fresh coat of wintry precipitation.
The nature of the incoming system keeps a bulk of the moisture in the mountains and on the west side, but Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and surrounding areas could see a snowy start to Monday as well.
The storm in question sits over the North Pacific and in the coming days will move into the Gulf of Alaska before taking a turn to the Southeast.
The Inland Northwest misses out on a direct impact from the incoming storm, but the tailing cold front sweeps the region Sunday into Monday, bringing the next chance at measurable precipitation. The front will travel from west to east across the region, meaning a bulk of the moisture sticks to the west side and in higher elevation areas.
The Cascades will squeeze out a bulk of the moisture from the incoming front through orographic precipitation. Additional lift caused by the mountains will give parts of the Cascades more than a foot of snow by the time it ends on Monday.
Down sloping on the lee side of the Cascades will have the opposite effect. Much of central Washington and the Columbia Basin will see minimal amounts of rain and snow if any at all.
Spokane sits right on the edge of the incoming snow. Each model run puts the moisture farther east and less snow in eastern Washington. Right now, it looks like Spokane will see anything from a light coating to near an inch of snow come Monday morning.
Coeur d’Alene will likely pick up a little more. A little over an inch in town is possible by the time it comes to an end Monday.
For the Inland Northwest, a bulk of the snow stays in the mountains. Places like Lookout Pass could pick up 6-8 inches of snow out of this system.
Following the front is a push of colder air. Temperatures will trend slightly cooler than where they’ve been in recent days. For Spokane, it is likely overnight lows fall into the teens with daytime highs topping out in the 20s on Tuesday before a slow warmup moves in.
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