Sun and smoke-weary Spokane residents will see some reprieve later this week.
The Inland Northwest will soon be filled with pleasant petrichor if rain forecast by the Spokane office of the National Weather Service holds true starting Tuesday evening.
Showers are likely in the Inland Northwest until the weekend, with Thursday carrying a near -absolute certainty rain will fall on every bit of the region. The clouds are anticipated to dissipate over the weekend, according to the weather service.
The storm system will also bring about cooler temperatures in the region, said weather service meteorologist Miranda Cote. Highs will hang in the 80s Tuesday until falling around 20 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday. Overnight lows will hover in the upper 40s to mid-50s.
Wind s will pick up Tuesday with the storm's arrival and could reach speeds as high as 20 mph by Wednesday, particularly on the West Plains, Cote said.
The clouds expected to arrive Tuesday evening could bring about the first major rainfall in months amid a historic wildfire season and ongoing drought conditions.
Cote said the region is around 3.6 inches behind average precipitation measurements for this time of year. That comes on the heels of three consecutive years where precipitation measured short of the average by more than 2 inches.
"I don't think it will make a dent in the drought, because it is just a single system, but it will be nice to get some rain," Cote said.
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