SPOKANE — In 141 years of record keeping, Spokane had never reached 90 degrees this late into the year — until Tuesday.
Before then, the farthest into the calendar year the temperature reached 90 degrees or higher was Sept. 25, 1952, when it was 93 , said Miranda Cote, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Spokane.
Cote said the 90-degree high Tuesday at the Spokane International Airport also broke a nearly 60-year-old daily heat record by 3 degrees.
The record for Sept. 27 of 87 degrees, set in 1963, was expected to be broken heading into Tuesday, and Mother Nature followed through.
Felts Field, which is almost always hotter than the official temperature recording taken at the Spokane International Airport, registered at 92 degrees Tuesday, Cote said.
Cote said the normal high temperature on Sept. 27 in Spokane is 69 degrees. She said a ridge of high pressure pushing warm air into the region explained the recent hot weather.
A cold front is expected to move in and drive temperatures down this week, with a high of 80 Wednesday plummeting to 64 Thursday.
Rain showers are possible Wednesday night and Thursday, also contributing to cooler temperatures, Cote said. There’s a 50% chance of showers those days.
Cote said precipitation amounts are not expected to be significant.
Clouds are expected to clear out Friday, and sunny skies will remain through early next week.
Forecasters are calling for a high of 69 Friday before temperatures rise to the mid-to-high-70s over the weekend and to start the work week.
