DELMARVA FORECAST
Tuesday night: Clearing and cooler. Lows around 60°F.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny and pleasant. Highs in the low 80s.
Thursday: increasing clouds. A slight chance of some showers late. Highs in the low 80s. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Friday: Turning hot with a chance of afternoon and evening showers. Highs in the low 90s. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Saturday: A chance of showers. Highs in the mid 80s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Sunday: Mostly sunny and cooler. Highs around 80°F.
Monday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.
FORECAST DISCUSSION
Normal high: 85°F. Normal low: 66°F.
High pressure is building in from the north, which pushed a dry backdoor cold front across Delmarva today.
In the wake of the cold front, cooler, drier, and breezy conditions have dominated conditions Tuesday afternoon.
Skies clear Tuesday night, and the winds will relax as well. When coupled with dew points falling to the 50s, that means we'll be able to give our air conditioners another break tonight as overnight lows will fall to around 60°F, with several locations likely falling into the 50s.
That high will settle in for a brief spell on Wednesday, meaning a pleasantly cool day with lots of sunshine and seasonably cool temperatures in the low 80s.
Then a broad ridge over the central United States, which is baking the Great Plains and much of the South, will start pushing east on Thursday.
While we won't see the oppressive heat that much of the nation is seeing, temperatures will be on an upward trend, on their way to the low 90s by Friday.
Of greater note will be a return of shower and thunder chances as a few disturbances travel down the northeastern periphery of the high. There is little confidence on the timing and strength of these disturbances, but expect chances of showers and thunder starting late Thursday continuing through perhaps midday Saturday, with the highest chances (but still rather low) on Friday afternoon and evening.
In the tropics, things are busy in the Atlantic Basin.
Post-tropical Storm "Emily" is a disorganized cluster of storms, but has a low, 30 percent chance of reorganizing. It is not a threat to land.
Tropical Storm "Franklin" is forecast to bring heavy rain and gusty winds to Haiti and the Dominican Republic before turning out into the Atlantic where it is expected to become a hurricane. As of now, it looks like Hispaniola is the only land mass to be directly affected, but interests in Bermuda and the East Coast of the USA and Canada should keep an eye on it.
The remnants of "Gert" are not a threat to land at this time.
Tropical Storm "Harold" made landfall earlier Tuesday in south Texas, and is bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to that area and parts of Tamulipas, Mexico. It is expected to weaken, but continue to bring some heavy rain to the area for the next 12 to 24 hours.
Near the Cape Verde Islands, a tropical wave has a medium, 40 percent chance of development.
The long-term 8-14 day outlook has temperatures averaging slightly below normal and precipitation near normal for August 29-September 4.
