Latest news with #Spokane-area
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronaut Anne McClain to greet hometown from ISS in earth-to-space video call Tuesday
May 25—Spokane-born astronaut U.S. Army Col. Anne McClain is set to talk with Earth's schoolchildren Tuesday from the International Space Station. In a "downlink" event sponsored by the Mobius Discovery Center, McClain will answer Spokane-area pupils' prerecorded questions while floating 250 miles above the Earth's surface in a video call. The 1997 Gonzaga Prep grad and her crew, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, launched March 14 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida 4. They're scheduled to return to Earth this fall after about six months of research. It's McClain's second trip aboard to the International Space Station, spending 204 days there in 2018- 19 running hundreds of experiments, walking in space twice and partaking in another downlink event with thousands of students hosted at Gonzaga Prep. The call is scheduled for Tuesday at 10:25 a.m. The 20-minute call with McClain will be live streamed on the NASA STEM YouTube channel.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Sunny days in Spokane predicted for several days
Apr. 14—Break out the garden tools, hammock or a lawn chair — this week is shaping up to be a sunny, warm week in most of the Inland Northwest . The National Weather Service predicts the Spokane area will see temperature s as high as 70 degrees on Tuesday and Friday, with highs in the 60s on Wednesday and Thursday. Those two days are expected to be less warm, with possible precipitation in North Idaho. Don't celebrate too quickly, though — this week's temperatures are above average, said Spokane-area meteorologist Ken Daniel, so it's possible we could see cooler days during the rest of this month. The nights will remain chilly. The weather service reports lows will stoop to the 30s. Along with the higher temperatures also comes higher winds on Wednesday, according to the weather service forecast, leading to an increase risk in brush fires . Gusts could reach as fast as 30 mph in Eastern Washington and up to 40 mph in central Washington. Make sure to keep an eye on any open flames that could lead to a fire, Daniel said. Areas that have dry, dead foliage are most susceptible. Last time the temperature spiked into the 70s, multiple Spokane-area brush fires took off. Notably, one that swept 80 to 90 acres near Fairchild Airforce Base in late March. "When we go into warmer, drier weather it does increase the risk of fires spreading," Daniel said. "Most of the threats are lightning or human-caused. We encourage people to be careful." Warm weather also leads to a propensity to find a watering hole — and it's still too early in the season to jump into a river. "River and lakes are still very cold. Water temperatures are low. It can be quite the shock," Daniel said. "Just like we encourage people to be fire smart, be cold water smart as well." Alexandra Duggan can be reached at (509) 459-5469 or by email at alexandrad@
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Weekend rain could lead to slush and floods after snowstorms in Spokane area
Feb. 21—The Spokane-area winter will officially transition this weekend from snow-and-cold to warm-and-wet. A wave of weather systems will bring rain Saturday, Sunday and Monday into Tuesday that should bring up to an inch of rain. In addition, periods of breezy conditions early in the week, coupled with thawing wet soils, could cause some trees to uproot. "Our soil temperatures will be inching above freezing," said Laurie Nisbet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "With super-saturated ground, and breezy conditions, there could be some concerns for tree damage on Tuesday." Pushed by a weather system coming in from the Pacific Ocean, the lows starting Saturday will remain higher than normal and above freezing in the Spokane area, Nisbet said. "The high temps will be in the 40s to around 50, maybe above 50 in some of the lower parts around Spokane," she said. Rain will also come in shifts, along with periods of wind. Those breezy conditions are projected to bring gusts as high as 20 to 30 mph over the weekend and as high as 35 mph on Tuesday, she said. "We will see three different waves of rain. The first is Saturday, then the second is Saturday evening through Sunday," Nisbet said. "Then there's a break Monday morning, and the third system comes Monday afternoon through Tuesday." Spokane could get about an inch of rain, with 1.4 inches forecast for Coeur d'Alene and 1.25 inches in Deer Park, she said. The snow level is rising to about 3,500 feet on Saturday and 5,500 feet on Sunday, with most area mountains getting rain, as well. The system should also hit the Palouse with similar amounts. Nisbet noted that Paradise Creek, which flows from Moscow, Idaho, to Pullman, is projected to reach flood stage. On Friday, the city of Moscow Public Works Department sent a news release saying that city officials were monitoring Paradise and Hogg creeks and the South Fork of the Palouse River with the upcoming warm and wet weather. They asked residents to watch for lowland flooding and clogged storm drains in certain areas. Nisbet said the same conditions could lead to problems in Spokane. She noted that Spokane International Airport still had 7 inches of snow on the ground as it entered the weekend. "So, with the warm temperatures and breezy winds, it's going to eat away all of the snow on the ground," she said. "Not only are we going to get three-quarters of an inch of rain, but we will have all that melting snow added to it as well. "That's getting closer to 2 inches of water. That raises concerns for low-lying fields and drainages. If you have storm drains that are blocked from pine needles, it could cause problems." Water gathering on roadways may cause added hazards because drivers will not be able to avoid hidden potholes, Nisbet said. The rainfall will add to a region that remains about 3 inches above average for moisture this time of year. "I would say after this event, we will continue to be well ahead on rainfall for our area," she said. "We'll know the final numbers next week."
