Sunnier and not as smoky for Sunday – Matt

SPOKANE, Wash. — Saturday was smoky and stormy, but much better weather is on tap for the rest of Labor Day Weekend!

Scattered thunderstorms will spin across North Idaho and Northeast Washington on Saturday evening before skies clear. Winds will shift to out of the west which will keep smoke from collecting in the Columbia Basin. Air quality will be much improved on Sunday and Monday unless you live close to an active wildfire. Sandpoint, Newport, and Bonners Ferry in particular may still have to deal with air quality problems over the next two days. Active fires in Northeast Oregon could also hurt air quality in the L-C Valley, Camas Prairie, and other areas around the Clearwater, Snake, and Salmon river basins in Idaho.

Temperatures will cool to the upper 50s, but the cooler air moving in will really start to be felt Sunday afternoon. Highs will hit the mid 80s: that’s it! Expect a lot of sunshine through the day with partly cloudy conditions near the Canada border.

Labor Day will be even cooler with highs only in the low 80s! Skies will stay sunny, though some haze could return around Spokane and Coeur d’Alene during the evening.

The rest of the week will see some big ups and downs with highs going from the 90s to the 70s Wednesday into Thursday.