DELMARVA FORECAST
Thursday night: Rain and wind. Rain could be heavy at times toward sunrise. Temperatures rise to around 60°F. Winds from the south at 15 to 20 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
Friday: Rain in the morning, with thunder possible, then clearing and windy. Highs near 60°F, falling to the mid 40s in the afternoon. Winds from the south will shift to the west. Gusts to 40 mph possible. Chance of rain 80 percent.
Saturday: Mostly sunny and cool. Highs in the mid 40s.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the low 50s.
Monday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 30s.
Tuesday: Cloudy. A stray shower south? Highs in the mid 40s. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 50s.
FORECAST DISCUSSION
Normal high: 49°F. Normal low: 31°F.
We're monitoring the approach of a storm system that will pass to our north, and swing a cold front across Delmarva early Friday.
While Thursday evening will be mainly dry, an impulse of energy from the south will approach ahead of the cold front and bring rain starting around midnight.
Periods of rain are expected through sunrise Friday morning, with southerly winds pushing temperatures up to around 60°F around sunrise Friday.
The cold front approaches early Friday morning with periods of rain, possibly with some embedded thunderstorms for the morning commute. The rain is expected to end by midday, with most of Delmarva expected to receive ½ to 1 inch of welcome rain.
Then the next phase of this weather story will be gusty winds. On Friday, winds from the south will shift to the west during the day. Winds could gust to 40 mph or more at times. Once the wind shift happens, temperatures will decrease throughout the day, falling into the mid 40s by mid-afternoon.
Gale warnings are posted for all of the waters around Delmarva.
The weekend will be quiet. Saturday will be mostly sunny, but cool and breezy, with afternoon highs in the mid 40s. Sunday is milder, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the low to mid 50s.
A dry cold front crosses Delmarva Sunday night which will lead to a chilly Monday; skies will be partly cloudy and highs might not get out of the 30s.
There are weak signals another storm system could approach Delmarva late next week.
In the long range, temperatures are expected to average above normal, and precipitation below normal for December 25 - December 31.