DELMARVA FORECAST

Wednesday night: Partly cloudy and mild. Lows in the mid 50s.

Thursday: Partly cloudy. A stray shower is possible. Highs in the mid 70s. Chance of rain less than 20 percent.

Friday: Partly cloudy. A few showers and thunderstorms possible in the afternoon and evening. Highs in the low 80s. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Saturday: Partly cloudy. Scattered showers and thunderstorms possible. Highs in the upper 70s. Chance of rain 60 percent.

Sunday: Chance of showers. Highs around 70°F. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Monday: Showers. Highs in the low 70s.

Tuesday: Showers. Highs in the mid 70s.

FORECAST DISCUSSION

Normal high: 71°F. Normal low: 49°F.

After a couple of light showers this morning, most of Delmarva is seeing partly cloudy skies with warm temperatures and breezy conditions.

A frontal boundary is situated over Delmarva, resulting in the increased clouds and breezy conditions.

The boundary will sink a little to the south Thursday, bringing in slightly cooler temperatures, though still warm. Highs will reach the mid 70s, but an onshore breeze will keep the beaches and boardwalks in the 60s. While I'm not seeing any signs of precipitation in any of our high-resolution model guidance, I don't want to rule out an isolated, stray shower. However, most everyone should be dry on Thursday, and outdoor activities should be just fine.

The boundary will lift north as a warm front on Friday as an area of low pressure develops along the frontal boundary to our west, bringing in warm temperatures in the 80s once again. Some showers and thunderstorms could pop up in the afternoon and evening; we're not seeing signals for severe storms, but downpours and gusty winds will be possible in anything that develops.

As the new low pressure area passes to our north, a cold front will swing across Delmarva on Saturday, bringing with it more widespread showers and thunderstorms. It looks like it won't be a total washout of a day, but keep your eyes to the sky and umbrellas nearby.

We are starting to get a better handle on how the beginning of next week will develop - and that means you'll need to keep the umbrellas nearby. The GFS model is now starting to agree with the ECMWF that a cutoff low will develop along Saturday's cold front and linger off the Delmarva coast for a few days. This will mean that showers will be likely Sunday through maybe Tuesday. There is still a bit of uncertainty in the forecast, so watch this space for updates.

In the long range, temperatures are expected to average above normal, and precipitation below normal for May 7 - May 13.