Cooling Down; Frost this Weekend
Good afternoon folks! Everything is still on track with a front approaching the region later tonight, pushing across the region Friday morning, highlighted by a noticeable change in temps and moisture levels as we move into the afternoon hours. Below normal temps move in Friday and hang around through Saturday, gradually returning to normal by Sunday and Monday and warming ever so slightly as we move into the latter part of next week. Rain chances continue to remain slim with our only window for rain occurring Thursday night into Friday morning, but coverage will be scattered at best and totals very light. The only headline to speak of is the likelihood for frost to develop both Friday and Saturday nights, although Saturday's chances are not as strong as Friday night. All in all, a dry stretch lies ahead starting Friday morning, stretching all the way into the middle of next week with temps seasonal for mid October.
Friday will be a nice fall day with a somewhat cloudy start as light, isolated showers begin to fizzle out across the region. The front moves through shortly before midday and sunshine takes over, alongside winds out of the west around 10 - 20mph that will make the upper 40's - low 60's feel even colder. Winds should die off as the evening begins, with temps plummeting to the upper 20's - mid 30's across the region under clear skies.
Saturday through Wednesday of next week maintain sunny skies overhead with mostly clear skies at night, although there may be a passing round of high clouds every so often as we approach Tuesday - Thursday. Afternoon high temps only reach the low 50's along the ridgelines, warming to the low 60's across the valleys on Saturday but eventually level out to the mid 50's - upper 60's Sunday and upper 50's - low 70's Tuesday into late next week. Saturday night in particular will be a slight curveball as radiational cooling could lead to frost in the valleys (low 30's), while the higher elevations sit in the upper 30's with no frost. Sunday and Monday night dip to the mid 40's - low 50's under a mostly clear - partly cloudy skies.
We'll stop here and circle back on Sunday. Be prepared for busy traffic on popular lead peeping roads this weekend as color is peaking above 4500'. ENJOY!