DELMARVA FORECAST
Easter Sunday: Sunny early, then increasing clouds. Showers possible in the evening. Mild. Highs in the mid 60s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Sunday night: Scattered showers. Lows in the upper 40s. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Monday: Scattered showers. Highs in the low to mid 60s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Tuesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms could be strong, with damaging winds and small hail. Highs in the low 60s. Chance of rain 70 percent.
Wednesday: Rain likely, with a rumble of thunder possible. Highs in the low 60s. Chance of rain 60 percent.
Thursday: Partly cloudy and breezy. Highs in the mid 50s.
Friday: Mostly sunny and cool. Breezy. Highs in the low to mid 50s.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 50s.
FORECAST DISCUSSION
Normal high: 60°F. Normal low: 39°F.
A weak disturbance that brought some showers to northern parts of Delmarva late Saturday night has moved offshore and a weak area of high pressure has cleared skies, which means we'll start Easter Sunday with mainly sunny skies.
A disturbance to our northwest will quickly cross Delmarva Sunday afternoon and evening. Similar to Saturday, clouds will increase throughout the day, becoming cloudy by late afternoon. Scattered showers will then cross the region late Sunday afternoon through the evening hours. Heavy rain is not likely, but a brief downpour can't be ruled out.
Broad ridging to our west will put Delmarva in a mainly northwesterly flow starting Monday through Wednesday. A few disturbances will bring scattered showers to Delmarva on Monday. I don't think the day will be a washout, but you'll want to keep an umbrella nearby.
Then on Tuesday, a deeping low pressure system will lift into the Great Lakes, pushing a warm front across Delmarva from south to north. This will bring increased chances of showers, and an increasing likelihood of thunderstorms. At this point, it looks like there will be enough instability that some thunderstorms could briefly become strong to severe, with damaging winds and hail the main threats. All of Delmarva is under a Level 1 "Marginal" threat for severe storms, with much of the Maryland Midshore and parts of Kent County, Delaware, under a Level 2 "Slight" threat.
The low pressure system pulls away Wednesday, swinging a cold front across Delmarva, with continued chances for scattered showers for the mid-week.
High pressure builds in on Thursday, with a return to mostly sunny skies, cooler temperatures, and a gusty northwest breeze to wrap up the work week.
The long-term 8-14 day outlook from the Climate Prediction Center has temperatures averaging above normal and precipitation below normal for April 7 - April 13.
