Sunny skies, warm weather forecasted this weekend

DAVENPORT – The sun arrived here earlier this week. By the weekend, the rays should finally translate to warm temperatures... in fact, if forecasts are accurate, the warmest in 2021.

Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18 are forecasted to have highs of 72 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. Few, if any, clouds are expected to dot the skies, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures above 70 degrees would easily be the highest this year. The previous high recorded temperature in 2021 was a three-way tie on March 19, April 2 and April 3, which all maxed at 60 degrees.

While temperatures Thursday, April 15 and Friday, April 16 aren’t expected to reach 70 degrees, they should still be higher than 60 degrees. So, if NWS forecasts hold true, the warmest day of the year should change four days in a row starting Thursday.

The warm temperatures are expected to be interrupted by another strong wind storm Sunday night, bringing with it the potential for very strong winds on Sunday into Monday that could create blowing dust conditions and damage from downed trees and power lines.

Projections at a Friday press briefing are for winds increasing throughout the day on Sunday. Peak speeds reaching 45-40 miles per hour in the Columbia Basin and Spokane regions and 50-55 mph in the Palouse are expected from 5 p.m. through midnight, with gusts achieving higher speeds.

The winds should taper off into Monday, with gusts from 40-50 mph possible during the morning and 30-40 mph in the afternoon. While powerful, forecasters at this time don’t foresee wind speeds seen in a storm that heavily impacted the region Jan. 13 or in November 2015, causing widespread power outages and damage.

Temperatures are forecasted to drop back down to a high of 60 degrees Monday, April 19.

– Cheney Free Press managing editor John McCallum contributed to this report.