DELMARVA FORECAST
Monday night: Mostly cloudy. A chance of a stray sprinkle. Lows in the low 60s.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy. Winds from the east at 5-10 mph. A low chance for a stray sprinkle Highs in the low to mid 70s. Chance of rain less than 20 percent.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with a chance for a few light showers. Highs in the mid to upper 70s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy with a chance for a few light showers. Highs in the low 80s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Friday: Mostly cloudy. Highs in the upper 70s.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of a few showers. Highs in the mid 70s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Sunday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 70s.
FORECAST DISCUSSION
Normal high: 77°F. Normal low: 58°F.
It's the first day of fall, and while the skies have been cloudy, the temperatures have been pleasantly cool.
Low pressure off the east coast combined with low pressure to our northwest is continuing a persistent easterly wind that has been keeping a lot of cloud clover over Delmarva, which will continue for much of the week ahead.
There isn't much in the way of rain in the forecast, with maybe a few stray sprinkles here and there Tuesday, with continued cool temperatures in the low to mid 70s with an easterly wind. Most folks stay dry, though.
For mid-week, a cold front and a series of disturbances will keep mainly cloudy skies in the forecast, with slightly higher chances for scattered showers. However, most guidance is suggesting most rainfall will stay west of the Chesapeake Bay through Thursday. Temperatures will turn warmer starting on Wednesday, though, with highs in the upper 70s, climbing into the low 80s by Thursday.
So the takeaway from this forecast through Thursday is that outdoor activities should be perfectly fine, just under mainly cloudy skies and with little more than just sprinkles for rain, if anything.
Then eyes turn toward late week. Guidance is in agreement that Potential Tropical Cyclone "Nine" will become Hurricane "Helene" and make a landfall along Florida's Big Bend around Thursday. As it applies to Delmarva, the question is where the storm goes after that. Long-range guidance is suggesting that the storm will hook to the west this weekend as low pressure sliding along New England blocks the storm from turning east. Our long-range models are suggesting the storm will then dissipate to our west, with minimal effects on Delmarva. However, this forecast is a week out, so watch this space for forecast updates in the coming week.
The long-term 8-14 day outlook from the Climate Prediction Center has temperatures averaging above normal and precipitation above normal for September 30 - October 6.
In the Tropics:
Potential Tropical Cyclone "Nine" is expected to become Tropical Storm "Helene" within the next 24 hours. As of right now, threats to Delmarva look to be minimal.
A tropical wave near the Cape Verde Islands has a high, 70 percent chance of development. It is not an immediate threat to Delmarva.
The Atlantic hurricane season ends on November 30.
