We’ll get 2026 off to a slightly chilly but seasonable start with surface high pressure in control. Temperatures will fall to the mid-30s by morning, with some freezing temperatures possible closer to I-95. With plenty of sunshine, though, temperatures will rebound right to where they should be for the beginning of the year, with highs peaking around 60° in the afternoon. It’ll be a bit breezy, especially in the morning, but those winds will slacken some as we head into the evening.

Friday & the weekend: First rain chance of 2026 arrives

Clouds will be increasing Friday as a storm system approaches from the west. We’ll start the day a little milder as a result, with lows only falling to around 40° with poorer radiational cooling conditions due to the increasing clouds. Highs will peak in the mid-60s as we enter the warm sector of the approaching system. It’s not out of the question that a shower or two could encroach upon the area later Friday evening, but much of the day should stay rain-free for the vast majority of us.

Showers will be establishing themselves by Saturday morning, with coverage increasing as we head into the afternoon and evening hours as the low makes its closest approach. Temperatures will start on the mild side for January 3, with lows only bottoming out in the upper 40s. We’ll warm to the mid-60s despite the cloud cover and rainfall. Many spots could get a half-inch to an inch of rain, which is welcome considering the drought conditions that are developing, but it won’t be enough to totally bust that drought just yet. A few rumbles of thunder aren’t out of the question with some instability possibly developing, but the risk for anything severe appears minuscule at this point.

The rain will be relatively short-lived, though, as the storm system departs overnight Saturday into early Sunday. Cloud cover will scour out as cooler and drier air works into the area, and we’ll see some sunshine before the day’s all said and done. Temperatures will run a little cooler than Saturday in the wake of the front as highs peak in the upper 50s, but this is still within spitting distance of normal for early January.

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