Warm weather continues this weekend, with a break in the rain coming Saturday as we’ll sit in-between storm systems. Highs on Saturday peak in the mid-80s after starting in the low 60s, several degrees above normal for mid-April. If you’re headed to High Water, make sure you’re applying sunscreen as the UV index will peak around 9, in the Very High category.

A cold front will approach the area Sunday, bringing with it the risk for some scattered showers and thunderstorms. Guidance is still somewhat mixed on the exact onset of these storms, but expect the best chance for a few thunderstorms in the afternoon and early evening. There is a small risk for a storm or two to produce damaging straight-line winds and some hail. Remember, though: Lightning makes every thunderstorm dangerous. When thunder roars, go indoors! Outside of storms, expect highs to once again top out in the mid-80s.

The front passes by late Sunday/early Monday, and the cooler and drier airmass behind it will bring us a pretty brilliant stretch of weather for the beginning of the work week. But let’s not think about the new work week yet if we can help it. 🙂

We’ll see some showers at times over the next few days, but there’s going to be ample amounts of good weather, too — crucial for this High Water Festival weekend.

Showers return to the forecast later Thursday as high pressure slips offshore ahead of a low advancing northward out of the Gulf. We start dry and should get a good bit of the day in without rain, though. After starting in the mid-50s, highs will top out in the upper 70s as cloud cover increases ahead of showers. Expect the onset of rain roughly mid to late afternoon into the evening hours. It’ll be off and on, but could be briefly heavy at times. A little thunder can’t be ruled out, either. The best rain chances come after dark and persist into Friday.

Seasonable warmth continues for the rest of the work week, though showers look to make their return Thursday evening and will hang around on Friday.

Tuesday will be one of the better weather days we’ve had in a while around here, just an all-around gorgeous spring day. We’ll start the day in the mid-to-upper 40s and warm nicely into the low 70s in the afternoon under sunny skies. Dewpoints around 40° will yield a really comfortable day, too — not too dry, not too humid. Yes, it’s a workday, but with some of y’all on spring break, I hope you get to take advantage of this! Before you know it, we’ll be sweating buckets by merely stepping outdoors.

After an unusually chilly weekend, we’ve got a really nice start to the new work week coming up as cool, dry high pressure continues its hold on the area. We’ll still see a series of chilly starts through Wednesday, with lows in the mid-40s each morning. Highs gradually moderate through the period, peaking in the upper 60s on Monday, low 70s on Tuesday, and mid-70s on Wednesday under plenty of sunshine. Winds on Monday will still be a little on the breezy side, with occasional gusts to 30 MPH possible.

Thursday will represent one more rain-free day with a little warmer weather as highs peak near 80°. Low pressure advancing northward out of the Gulf will help usher showers and maybe a few thunderstorms into the area on Friday (though a total rainout looks unlikely). The overall airmass turns warmer, with lows in the 60s Friday morning offering a sharp departure from the last several days. Highs top out in the mid-70s with shower and thunderstorm activity likely tempering warmth. Scattered showers and maybe a thunderstorm remain possible Saturday into Sunday, though with far less coverage than Friday. Highs top out in the low 80s each day this weekend after starting in the mid-60s.

After a chilly, raw day across the area in which we tied the record cold high temperature, the rain comes to an end Sunday morning and we begin to dry out. Cloud cover will hang tough for much of the day, though we should get some peeks of sun late. One of the main weather stories for this Easter Sunday will be the continued chill; high pressure continuing to wedge into the area will keep highs in the mid-50s after starting in the mid-40s. If the NWS forecast high of 57° verifies, it’d be the second consecutive day tying a record cold high temperature.

The second weather story of the day will be the gusty northeast winds and the potential for major coastal flooding with the late night high tide. Winds will be brisk, sustained 15-20 MPH with gusts approaching 30 MPH at times, with even higher gusts possible at the coast and on the higher bridges. The persistent northeasterly wind will also drive tidal departures up over 2′, potentially pushing the 11:04 PM high tide up to around 8′, which is major coastal flooding territory. Fortunately, we’ll be done with the rain, and that will keep the flooding issues confined largely to tidal areas. Still, numerous road closures are possible late Sunday, and you’ll want to keep that in mind if you have late-day travel plans around downtown.

Well, this certainly will not go down as one of the better Easter weekends, weather-wise, as high pressure wedging into the area keeps temperatures well below normal for this point in the year while also keeping showers a prevalent part of the forecast. Don’t count on much, if any, sun on Saturday as scattered showers in the morning and early afternoon turn more steady heading into the later afternoon and evening hours. Temperatures really won’t move much — we’ll start around 51° and only head up to about 54° as a chilly northeast breeze and the rain reinforce the cold air damming regime that’ll be in place.

Showers will continue well into Sunday, but will gradually become a little more scattered as the plume of deeper moisture shunts offshore. The wedge will remain in place, but a somewhat thinner cloud deck and less rainfall should allow temperatures a fighting chance to approach 60° in the afternoon. It’ll be quite breezy — winds will generally run about 20 MPH with higher gusts, especially near the coast. Regardless, you’ll need rain gear for Easter sunrise services.

We’ve got one more warm day on Friday, but changes arrive in the evening as a cold front pushes southward across the area. Showers and maybe a thunderstorm will be possible ahead of the cold front (though no severe weather is expected) as said front moves by. Timing on the rain looks to be later in the afternoon into the evening hours. Highs will peak in the upper 70s and possibly touch 80° depending on when rain begins after starting in the mid-60s for one more day.

If you’re into highs in the 80s and rain-free weather, try to take advantage of Thursday because changes are in store heading into the weekend. We’ll start the day in the mid-60s, well above normal for this point in the year, before warming back into the mid-80s for the afternoon. (The record high of 90° set in 1967, thankfully, remains safe.)