Saturday Rain Chances

A low pressure system off the California coast will slowly move into our area by Saturday, bringing a chance of some light rain.  Here’s the weather map for today (Thursday) showing the cool low off the west coast, with a ridge of hot high pressure over eastern Washington and Idaho.


By Saturday morning, the low will move up to the Washington coast. 




We’ll have two chances of rain with this system.  The first will be on Friday night and early Saturday morning.  Most of the computer models are betting against this scenario.  But the European and UK models (two of the better performers) are in favor of some Saturday morning rain for our area.  Here’s the European rainfall forecast for that time:



The European model suggests this morning round of rain won’t bring any lightning.  I wouldn’t entirely rule it out though. But by Saturday afternoon, thunderstorms are expected to develop over the Cascades and northern mountains of Washington and Idaho.  This is the European rain forecast for Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning.  The vast majority of the rain will be in British Columbia.  But a number of other models support the idea of rain showers as far south as Spokane on Saturday night.



Before the rain arrives, we’ll have one last hot day, with temperatures 95-100.  Clouds from the approaching storm arrive at just the wrong time, late Friday afternoon.  This won’t keep temperatures cooler on Friday, but it will keep temperatures uncomfortably warm all Friday night.  

After a rather cool Sunday, we’ll warm up to near 90 by Tuesday.  But then the atmospheric weather pattern shifts.  It moves the hot high pressure over the Rockies, with cooler weather along the western states.  And this pattern is forecast to remain into early September.  Only some very small chances of rain with this pattern, unfortunately.  

If the European and UK models are right, this will bring the first measurable rain to Spokane airport since June 28th.  










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