Much of Eastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle has finally received some relief from the recent dry/hot pattern. At my location, a quarter of an inch fell. Rain reports show around three quarters of an inch in the Spokane area and closer to an inch and a quarter just north of there. This rain came in the best way possible: widespread showers instead of thunderstorms. As a result, there are no new fires to report this evening. While rain fell in Eastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle, the Columbia Basin got largely missed. In fact, the dry weather is still continuing for some.

For those people, and pretty much all of the Inland Northwest, there are plenty more chances of rain coming soon. With this morning’s storm now off to the northeast, our focus shifts to the next storm expected for Monday into Tuesday. Unlike our last storm, we are now quite moist with dew points well into the 60s throughout the area. It will not take much to cause a thunderstorm outbreak. That’s where Monday’s storm comes into the picture. We’re looking at a good chance of thunderstorms across the Inland Northwest. These storms could still spark off new fires, but the threat is lower now since we got some rain today. The main threat though will be locally heavy rain due to there being a considerable amount of moisture available.

Following that storm, an isolated shower or thunderstorm will remain possible in the mountains for both Wednesday and Thursday. In the valleys, we’ll start to dry out, briefly.

By Friday and especially next Saturday, the models are hinting at an unseasonably strong storm for this time of year. If this turns out being correct, we will get really wet! Tons of moisture as well as instability will be available with this system. As a result, the forecast calls for scattered-widespread showers and thunderstorms for both Friday and Saturday. The main threats will be damaging winds, very heavy rain, and moderate sized hail. Also, new fire starts remain a concern though the risk is low. More details to come later on this storm!