DELMARVA FORECAST
Thursday night: Partly cloudy and warm. Lows in the mid 60s.
Friday: Partly cloudy with some stray showers. Highs in the low 80s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Saturday: Mostly sunny and cooler, but still warm. Highs in the upper 70s.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a chance for a few scattered showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low to mid 70s, falling in the afternoon. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Monday: Mostly sunny and breezy. Highs in the upper 50s.
Tuesday: Partly cloudy with a chance of a stray shower. Highs in the low 60s. Chance of rain less than 20 percent.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy and breezy. Highs in the mid 70s.
FORECAST DISCUSSION
Normal high: 67°F. Normal low: 44°F.
Today marks the last day of our April heat wave on Delmarva, with potential tying or record highs in Georgetown and Dover.
The Bermuda high responsible for the recent hot weather will start to weaken and retreat east, giving a little more leeway for cold fronts to swing across Delmarva.
The first front will arrive on Friday. It won't be a particularly strong front, and with influence from the Bermuda high still present, it will mostly wash out over our region. However, some increased cloud cover and spotty light showers will be possible. These showers won't amount to much, though, and will not alleviate the developing drought situation.
In the wake of Friday's front, we'll have cooler temperatures on Saturday, which will still be well above normal, in the upper 70s. Saturday will be the better day of the weekend.
Our best chance of rain will arrive Sunday. The timing is still a little uncertain this far out, but it's looking like Sunday afternoon and evening a more potent cold front will arrive, bringing with it more widespread showers and possibly some thunderstorms. Measurable rainfall is expected, but still not a whole lot, which will continue to exacerbate the drought conditions on parts of Delmarva, as well as increase the wildfire danger. Sunday's highs are a little uncertain, with some guidance suggesting low 80s before the front, and other guidance having clouds suppressing temperatures in the mid 70s before the front. Either way, Sunday will be the transition day from the summer-like heat, to more seasonable temperatures next week.
Monday will see sunshine, but much cooler temperatures that could struggle to get out of the 50s (!) with a gusty northwest wind. Fire weather headlines may come into play depending on just how much rain we see on Sunday.
With dry conditions and warm temperatures, along with gusty southwest winds, we could end up with an increased wildfire danger at times. So far, no such headlines have been produced, but as a precaution, be careful with any outdoor activities involving spark or flame.
Salisbury record highs:
April 16: 89°F (1976)
Dover record highs:
April 16: 89°F (1896)
Georgetown record highs:
April 16: 89°F (2002)
Wallops Island record highs:
April 16: 89°F (1976)
In the long range, temperatures are expected to average near normal, and precipitation near normal for April 23 - April 29.
