Passing Clouds and Warm this Wknd
Good morning folks! Although its been dry these past few days, we've been dealing with periods of high, thin cirrus clouds and occasional smoke from nearby prescribed burns that have kept maximum temps at bay, much cooler than we previously forecasted. We'll continue to enjoy slightly above to above normal temps today (Wed) through Sunday, with a cooldown expected Monday into the Tuesday of next week, but only down to normal levels, which for mid March is in the upper 50's. A cold front will approach the region late this week and cross the area early Saturday morning, but moisture before, during, and after the frontal passage will produce more clouds than sunshine Friday through Sunday. It seems our rain chances have lessened as well to an isolated shower or two, so the weekend is shaping up to be dry and warm, albeit a touch cloudier than we would like. Temps remain above freezing the rest of the week and into early next week, with a chance for scattered showers beginning Monday.
A round of high clouds move through the region this afternoon and today is likely to be the last sunny day we'll experience till roughly the middle - late part of next week. Temps will warm to the upper 40's - low 50's along the highest ridgelines, while the valleys push into the upper 60's, but keep in mind the passing high clouds this afternoon, as that will make it feel slightly cooler than the upper 60's. Overnight lows settle into the upper 30's - mid 40's depending upon elevation under partly cloudy skies.
SW flow ramps up across the area Thursday, bringing with it a strong SW wind for the higher elevations around 15 - 20mph throughout the day. Temps will warm to the low 50's - low 70's depending upon elevation, which is roughly 10 degrees above normal for the middle of March. Passing high clouds and sunshine make up the rest of the action on Thursday and we'll hit the repeat button on Friday, with winds turning from the SW to out of the west by the early afternoon hours. Overnight lows Thursday night settle into the low - upper 40's under partly cloudy skies, while Friday night features cloudy skies and temps in the mid 40's - low 50's. It is possible a light shower or two develops Friday night and into Saturday morning, but coverage should remain isolated.
Saturday and Sunday both keep passing clouds overhead and we'll see the sun poke through the cloud cover at times but for the most part we'll experience more cloud cover than sunshine. Temps cool off slightly, only reaching the upper 40's - upper 60's depending upon elevation each afternoon, with overnight lows in the mid - upper 40's Saturday night, dipping down to the low - mid 40's Sunday night.
Moisture should continue to increase late Sunday night and set the stage for scattered showers Monday, with coverage extending into Tuesday of next week. Temps will cool down slightly to the mid 40's - upper 50's each afternoon, which is right around normal for the middle of March. We'll circle back on Friday with a better look at rain chances early next week.
Don't forget Daylight Savings Time occurs at 2am Sunday morning, so we'll go to sleep Saturday night and lose an hour of sleep. This will push our sunsets close to 8pm each evening!