DELMARVA FORECAST
Thursday night: Clear and chilly. Light winds from the north. Lows in the upper 30s and low 40s.
Friday: Mostly sunny. A northerly breeze will shift to the west late. Highs in the upper 60s.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid to upper 70s.
Sunday: Mostly sunny and warm. Becoming breezy Highs near 80°F.
Monday: Increasing clouds. Chance of a shower late. Highs in the mid to upper 60s. Chance of rain less than 20 percent.
Tuesday: Becoming mostly sunny and much cooler. A gusty breeze from the north. Highs in the low 60s.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny and cool. Highs in the low 60s.
FORECAST DISCUSSION
Normal high: 71°F. Normal low: 50°F.
The dry conditions are expected to continue on Delmarva for the foreseeable future.
Cool high pressure has built into the Mid-Atlantic, bringing lots of sunshine and a northerly breeze that has kept our afternoon temperatures in the low to mid 60s.
The high will stick around for the end of the work week and we'll continue to be refreshingly cool through Friday afternoon.
The high will then shift to the south this weekend, shifting winds to a more westerly, then southerly direction. This will allow for continued sunshine, but much warmer temperatures, with highs in the mid to upper 70s Saturday, and possibly challenging 80°F on Sunday. At the beaches, high surf and dangerous rip currents are possible as what's left of Hurricane "Milton" makes its way out to sea.
A strong cold front will approach Monday, but as has been the case with recent cold fronts, it won't have much moisture to work with. I can't rule out a few stray showers Monday, but I'm thinking that just about everyone will stay dry.
The main effect of the cold front will be a blast of much cooler air for the middle of next week, in fact, possibly the coolest temperatures we've seen so far this season, with highs on Tuesday and Wednesday possibly struggling to reach the low 60s with a gusty north breeze.
The long-term 8-14 day outlook from the Climate Prediction Center has temperatures averaging above normal and precipitation below normal for October 17 - October 22.
In the Tropics:
Hurricane "Milton" has raked across Florida and has become Post-Tropical Cyclone "Milton." It is still packing near hurricane-force winds as it makes its way out into the Atlantic Ocean. It will likely churn up some high surf along the U.S. East Coast this weekend.
Hurricane "Leslie" is still spinning angrily in the Atlantic and is forecast to stay well out to sea and is not a direct threat to the U.S. East Coast.
A tropical wave near the Cape Verde islands has a low, 20 percent chance of becoming an organized system in the coming week. It is not an immediate threat to Delmarva at this time.
The Atlantic hurricane season ends on November 30.