Atlantic high pressure at the surface and aloft will bring on progressively warmer weather as we hit Thursday and the rest of the Bridge Run weekend. We may set some record warm low temperatures during this stretch, starting with Thursday’s forecast low of 67°, which would tie the record warm low set in 2012. It’ll be a partly cloudy day, and the increasing influence of high pressure will keep any shower activity at bay (unlike what a few of us saw on Wednesday as a warm front lifted north). Temperatures will head to the mid-80s in the afternoon, which should get us right into some of the warmest air so far this year.
Quiet weather continues for a couple more days, albeit with high pressure slowly losing its grip over the area ahead of the next cold front. We’ll start to warm up as southerly flow develops over the area; expect to start Friday in the low to mid-50s, warming to the mid-to-upper 70s in the afternoon under partly cloudy skies. More clouds filter into the area for Saturday as a bit more in the way of humid air works its way in; expect a warmer start in the upper 50s with highs topping out once again in the mid-to-upper 70s, governed by the increased cloud cover.
Another nice day is ahead for Thursday as high pressure slides by to our north. Temperatures start in the mid-40s, warming to the mid-70s under sunny skies for one more day. With the center of high pressure shifting more north of the area, winds will swing around more to the northeast and the east. It’ll be another dry day, relative humidity-wise, especially away from the coast as dewpoints mix down to the 30s in the afternoon. An inland-moving seabreeze will send dewpoints up into the low 40s as we get later into the day, but it’ll still feel quite comfortable outside.
We’ve got a nice stretch of weather ahead for Friday and the weekend as high pressure rules the meteorological roost for a few days. Friday will start on a chilly note with lows in the low 40s feeling closer to the mid-30s thanks to elevated winds persisting through the morning. Temperatures Friday only top out in the mid-60s despite full sunshine owing the cooler and drier air continuing to push into the area.
The cool air advection shuts off on Saturday, though, and temperatures respond quite nicely to kick off one of the better weather weekends in a while. After another low-40s start, expect highs to peak right in the mid-70s in the afternoon with unfettered sunshine. And if you like Saturday, Sunday starts a touch warmer but ends up pretty much in the same place in the afternoon with highs in the mid-70s. Really, the only fly in the ointment is all the pollen — but such is life in March.
Showers return to the forecast on Thursday as a cold front moves into the area. We’ll get off to a comfortable start, with temperatures in the low-to-mid-50s to start the day. The front should show up later in the day, and we’ll get some rain-free time in, warming to the mid-70s before showers arrive. Model guidance brings the rain into the area by mid-afternoon and gets it through the area about 2-3 hours later. The rain won’t amount to much; about a quarter-inch at most. It’ll turn breezy as the front moves by, with gusts 20-30 MPH possible. Once it’s through, we’ll start to cool down heading into the overnight.
Warm weather continues for Friday and the weekend ahead of our next storm system on Sunday, which could bring us a round of strong to severe thunderstorms.
We’ll see a few more clouds on Thursday as a shortwave trough swings through aloft, but other than a slight downtick in temperatures compared to Wednesday’s highs in the low 80s, we’ll remain seasonably warm as surface high pressure remains anchored in the Atlantic for one more day. We’ll keep an eye on the moisture profiles to make sure that no showers try to overachieve with the upper-level energy moving by, but the expectation is that it’ll just be too dry for much more than the enhanced cloud cover.
After a windy and occasionally rainy Wednesday that, thankfully, didn’t result in any severe weather, we will turn much cooler and sunnier for Thursday. Temperatures start in the low 40s, warming to just the low 60s in the afternoon with breezy conditions featuring gusts 25-30 MPH at times, particularly in the morning through the early afternoon as high pressure builds in. We’ll see that high pressure settle in a little more later Thursday night, and that will help winds go a little calmer and start to cool us off for potential frost and freeze issues inland for Thursday overnight into Friday morning.
We’ll climb back aboard the temperature rollercoaster this weekend as a series of fronts affect the area. The first one, coming through Thursday night into early Friday, will knock temperatures down about 10° or so with highs in the upper 60s expected Friday afternoon with mostly sunny skies. This is just a click on the warm side of normal for February 28, which marks the end of climatological winter.
After reaching 79° on Wednesday, some 13° above normal for this point in the year, we’re back in the mid-to-upper 70s on Thursday but with some increasing cloud cover ahead of an approaching cold front. Moisture ahead of the front won’t be the best, but a few showers will be possible later Thursday into the overnight as it gets by, so be aware for the potential for a little rain. It’ll also be a bit of a breezy day, with winds 15-20 MPH possible out of the southwest particularly in the afternoon.
