Warm weather is here to stay

The sunshine and warm weather wasn't wasted on Jim and Roxanne Helgeson. 

The lifelong Coeur d'Alene residents went for a ride on their recumbent bicycles Thursday afternoon in City Park.

"We go whenever the weather provides for it," Roxanne said. "This is our second time this year." 

The two got into recumbent bike riding after Roxanne underwent two back surgeries.

"Plus, you always have a seat," she said. 

For those like the Helgesons taking advantage of the perfect conditions for recreation in the sun, Steven Van Horn has good news: More sunny days are ahead.

The National Weather Service meteorologist stated that a high-pressure system is on its way to the area.

"We’re looking at dry conditions and then temperatures will definitely warm up as we go through the weekend and into early next week," Van Horn said. " It looks like for North Idaho, Monday will be sort of the peak warmth."

Van Horn said weather indicates places like Sandpoint to Bonners Ferry will be in the upper 70s or even 80 degrees. Conditions for Bloomsday on Sunday are expected to be ideal, with lows in the 50s in the morning and rising to the 70s later in the day.

Temperatures are expected to stay in the 70s and even make their way into the upper 70s next week.  

"We're looking at an extended period of warmer-than-average temperatures and it looks like we won’t have any systems bringing rainfall over that period. If we do, it’ll be very minor," Van Horn said.  

Van Horn said the National Weather Service is also looking into the possibility of weather impacting wildland fire moving into the summer.

"When it comes to fire weather, a lot of it has to do with the next few months," Van Horn said. "Typically, if we’re fairly warm and dry, our fire season will start a bit earlier and what happens during summer dictates how many fires we see and how quickly they grow."