DELMARVA FORECAST
Wednesday: Increasing clouds with a wintry mix of rain, freezing rain, and/or sleet developing in the afternoon and evening. Cold. Highs in the mid to upper 30s. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
Wednesday night: A wintry mix of rain, freezing rain, and/or sleet early, changing to plain rain after midnight. Lows in the low 30s. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.
Thursday: Morning rain. Mild and windy. Southeast winds could gust to 25 mph or more at times. Highs in the low 50s. Chance of rain 90 percent.
Friday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid to upper 50s.
Saturday: A wintry mix possible. Highs in the mid 40s. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
Sunday: Showers possible. Mild. Highs in the upper 50s. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Monday: A wintry mix possible. Highs in the mid 40s. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
FORECAST DISCUSSION
Normal high: 46°F. Normal low: 28°F.
While much of the week ahead will be unseasonably warm, the overall temperature forecast is trending cooler, with increasing chances for some wintry precipitation.
On Wednesday, high pressure to our north will shift winds to a northeasterly direction, pinning cold air up against the Appalachian Range. A storm system will approach from the west, bringing precipitation chances starting Wednesday afternoon. Delmarva probably won't see much precipitation until evening. But with cool air over Delmarva with temperatures in the upper 30s, along with relative humidities below 100 percent, early precipitation will likely cause evaporational cooling, causing temperatures to drop to near freezing in the evening. This means precipitation Wednesday night will likely come in the form of a mix of sleet, freezing rain, and rain, with icy conditions possible, especially on the Midshore and in Delaware overnight into Thursday morning.
Winds will quickly shift to a more southerly direction Thursday morning, and all precipitation should change over to plain rain by the Thursday morning commute.
We're going to dry out by Thursday afternoon with a gusty southwest wind pushing temperatures back into the 50s, and into the upper 50s Friday.
Then another storm system will approach Saturday, bringing more chances for rain or wintry mix as the temperature forecast has trended down.
In the long range, guidance is indicating a return to colder temperatures and the possibility of several rounds of wintry precipitation next week.
