Cold weather coming by week's end

MOSES LAKE — It’s staying light a little later. There’s a little more sun during the day. Temperatures crept up ever so slightly for a couple of days.

Could spring be approaching?

Not so fast. Low temperatures could drop below 10 degrees Thursday and Friday, and highs at week’s end will be in the mid-20s.

Ken Daniel, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Spokane, said the culprit is winds out of the northwest, which are bringing cold Arctic air with them.

“Temperatures are going to get significantly cooler in the middle of the week,” he said.

The high temperature for Thursday through Saturday will be in the mid-20s, and lows will be in the 10 to 15-degree range.

“Single digits (for low temperatures) are not out of the question,” he said.

But it is February, so the cold weather shouldn’t linger.

“We aren’t expecting this to be a long cold snap,” he said.

Sunday’s high is forecast to reach about 30 degrees, and the thermometer should start climbing early next week.

The cold spell probably won’t bring snow with it, at least in the eastern Washington valleys, although there may be snow in the mountains.

“It (snow) is not looking likely for your area, as of yet,” Daniel said Monday.

There are some precautions people can take to avoid hypothermia and other issues when the temperature bottoms out around 10 degrees. The Washington Department of Health suggests people make sure they have appropriate winter clothing available, and ensure home heating sources are working. The curtains and doors should be closed in rooms that aren’t being used, the DOH said.

If people have to be outside, they should watch for signs of hypothermia, which include slurred speech, uncontrollable shivering, disorientation and drowsiness.

Dogs and cats should be brought inside.

Inside the house, leaving faucets dripping will help reduce the possibility of frozen pipes.