We’ve reached Columbus Day Weekend, or for our friends north of the border, it’s Thanksgiving Weekend. For one day at least, it’s not going to feel like it.

Once again, we’ve got a fairly simple forecast for the most part. High pressure remains in control through Saturday. This provides us with cool weather into Saturday. Frost advisories are in effect away from the coastline tonight, as temperatures will drop into the 30s in many areas. If you still have anything in your garden, it’s time to bring it inside. The high slides offshore Friday night, allowing milder air to move back in. In fact, Saturday will be quite warm, with temperatures reaching the 70s for most of us.

Sunday is when things start to change. A cold front moves through during the early morning, but there will be little precipitation accompanying it. There may be a few sprinkles or a spot shower, but the vast majority of the region should remain dry. However, much cooler weather will settle back in, with temperatures similar to today and Friday as high pressure builds back in behind the front.

This brings us to Monday, which is a bit of a question mark at this point. What’s left of Hurricane Delta will start moving this way in the form of some shower activity. The high pressure area will still be in control, keeping most of the shower activity from moving in. However, the high will be pushing off to the east, so right now, it looks like we may see some showers start to move in during the afternoon and evening. The day shouldn’t be a washout, and in fact, it may remain dry during the daylight hours. It will stay cool though with plenty of cloud cover.

Thursday night: Clear and chilly. Low 33-40.

Friday: Sunny and cool. High 57-64.

Friday night: Partly cloudy. Low 44-51 during the evening, temperatures will start to rise a bit after midnight.

Saturday: A mix of sun and clouds, breezy, and warmer. High 71-78.

Saturday night: Partly to mostly cloudy, slight chance for a shower late at night. Low 50-57.

Sunday: More clouds than sun. High 59-66.

Sunday night: Plenty of clouds. Low 42-49.

Monday: A few sunny breaks early, otherwise mostly cloudy, showers may develop towards evening. High 56-63.

We’re into a new month, and some things will change, but some will remain the same this weekend.

While we’re enjoying sunshine and warm temperatures this afternoon, the first changes are on their way. Clouds will stream in tonight ahead of a cold front. This front will bring some showers in on Friday, but like many of our recent systems, they’ll be fairly light, and won’t provide much, if any, help with our drought. Most of the activity will be north and west of Boston, with the possibility that it remains completely dry south and east of Interstate 95. It’ll be mild during the morning across eastern Massachusetts before the front moves through, but temperatures will likely drop during the afternoon.

High pressure builds in for the weekend with temperatures that are closer to normal, perhaps even a little below normal in spots. Sunday looks to be the better of the weekend days with plenty of sunshine. Saturday should still be a pretty good day, but a weak upper-level disturbance will help to trigger some clouds, especially during the afternoon. There may even be a few sprinkles or showers late in the day, mainly north of the Mass Pike. It’s nothing to worry about, but if you’ve got any outdoor plans during the afternoon and evening, don’t be surprised if there are a few raindrops.

Monday brings more changes to the region. A storm system will likely bring some rain into the area as it passes to our south and east. How far north and west the rain shield extends, and how heavy the rain will be are still a bit uncertain. It looks like the heaviest rain should stay offshore, but it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if we get some steadier rain into the Cape and Islands and possibly southeastern Massachusetts. It also could be a bit breezy in these locations as well, again depending on how close the storm actually gets to the region. We’ll obviously have much more clarity on this in our Weekly Outlook early Monday morning.

Thursday night: Increasing clouds. Low 49-56.

Friday: Cloudy with some showers likely. High 59-66, a little warmer across eastern Massachusetts during the morning.

Friday night: Becoming clear to partly cloudy. Low 40-47, a little warmer in the urban areas.

Saturday: Partly sunny with a slight chance for a few late-day sprinkles or showers. High 61-68.

Saturday night: Clear skies. Low 40-47.

Sunday: Sunshine to start, some clouds start to move in late in the day. High 60-67.

Sunday night: Becoming mostly cloudy with showers possible by daybreak. Low 44-51.

Monday: Cloudy with a chance of showers, possibly some steadier rain across the Cape and Islands. High 57-64.

Fall is officially here, but it certainly won’t feel like it through most of the weekend.

High pressure keeps us dry through Sunday. Unlike the last several days, we will be much warmer, thanks to west to southwest winds. In fact, by Sunday, it may even feel humid once again. It’s not going to be the Dog Days of summer, but highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s and dewpoints in the middle 60s aren’t too typical of the final weekend of September.

While it’s looking dry, it probably won’t be completely sunny through the weekend. What’s left of Tropical Storm Beta will be passing to our south Saturday. It may spread some clouds into the region, but for now, it looks like most of the rain will stay south of us, though a few of the models do try to sneak some showers in on Saturday. Since it’s been very dry lately, and we’re still in a drought, we’re going to follow the old forecaster’s adage “When in drought, leave it out.”

By Sunday night, things start to change. A large upper-level trough of low pressure will settle into the Great Lakes. At the surface, a cold front will move toward the region. Some showers are likely ahead of this front Sunday night into Monday. This isn’t a drought-busting rain by any means, but every little bit helps. A cooler, more unsettled pattern may settle in for next week, but the details aren’t that clear yet. We’ll focus more on that in our Weekly Outlook early Monday morning.

Thursday night: Partly cloudy. Low 52-59.

Friday: Sunshine and a few clouds. High 74-81.

Friday night: Clear skies. Low 53-60.

Saturday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 75-82.

Saturday night: Partly cloudy. Low 57-64.

Sunday: Partly sunny, breezy, and warm. High 76-83.

Sunday night: Mostly cloudy with showers developing. Low 60-67.

Monday: Plenty of clouds with scattered showers likely, breezy. High 72-79.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record – we need rain, quite a bit of it in fact. We’ll get a little this weekend, but not much.

We’re getting some rain today and tonight as a cold front moves in from the northwest and a stream of tropical moisture moves up from the south. While some of this rain may be heavy, the bulk of the heavy rain won’t impact much of the region. The rain should end tonight from northwest to southeast as the cold front pushes through and then offshore.

Behind the front high pressure builds in on Friday with much cooler and less humid conditions. This is the same airmass the produced record lows across the nation’s mid-section over the past few days, but obviously, it will be modified significantly by the time it arrives here. Still, highs will only be in the upper 60s and 70s on Friday and Saturday, with nighttime lows dropping into the 40s in some spots.

By Sunday, we’ll start to warm up again as another cold front approaches from the west. This front will produce some showers and maybe a rumble of thunder, but the day won’t be a washout, as most of the shower activity should hold off until late in the day or at night. Some of the models are hinting at the possibility of some heavy rain with this front, but we’re not buying that at the moment. Of course, many of us will be on our couches Sunday afternoon watching the start of the NFL season. For the Patriots game, kickoff conditions should feature mostly cloudy skies, temperatures in the lower to middle 70s, and southerly winds at 5-10 mph with gusts to 20 mph. Any rain should hold off until after the game.

Any showers will comes to an end Monday morning as the front moves through, then skies will clear out once again. Gusty northwest winds will usher cooler air back in, but most of the day should remain fairly mild.

Thursday night: Periods of rain and showers gradually ending. Low 58-65.

Friday: Skies gradually become partly to mostly sunny. High 67-74.

Friday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 47-54, a little warmer in some of the urban areas.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, though some clouds may start to move in late in the day. High 65-72.

Saturday night: Becoming partly to mostly cloudy. Low 48-55, a little warmer in some of the urban areas.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, showers develop late in the day. High 70-77.

Sunday night: Cloudy with a chance of showers, possibly a rumble of thunder. Low 60-67.

Monday: Showers end early, then skies gradually clear out, breezy. High 72-79.

Labor Day Weekend is the “traditional” end to summer, and this one will be a lot like most of the summer has been – dry.

This forecast will be fairly brief, because there’s not a lot to talk about. A cold front moves through tonight, bringing an end to the showers we’ll have this afternoon and evening. High pressure then builds in for Friday and the weekend. Friday will remain quite warm, but noticeably less humid. We’ll cool off a bit for Saturday, but then we’ll start to warm up again for Sunday and Monday, with humidity levels starting to creep up once again.

Thursday night: Any lingering showers come to an end, the skies start to clear out late at night. Low 63-70.

Friday: Becoming mostly sunny. High 80-87.

Friday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 52-59.

Saturday: Sunshine and a few clouds. High 70-77.

Saturday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 52-59.

Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds. High 74-81.

Sunday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 55-62.

Labor Day: Partly to mostly sunny. High 76-83.

We’ve reached the final days of not only August, but meteorological summer, and some of them may not feel like summer.

A warm front will get hung up to our south today, keeping most of the severe weather well south and west of us. In fact, it’ll stay far enough south that high pressure will build in for Friday. This will bring us some sunshine and milder temperatures. However, this dry weather will be short-lived.

Another system will approach on Saturday, bringing some showers and possibly some thunderstorms into the region. We may be dealing with a situation similar to today where a warm front struggles to move into the region, which could keep some areas on the cool side. This front looks to have at least a little more push than today’s as the parent low will likely move across Northern New England, but we’ll have to see keep an eye on it.

Complicating things even more will be the remnants of Laura moving off the Mid-Atlantic coastline and passing south and east of New England. Laura won’t be tropical any more, but as the system moves back out over water, it may start to strengthen a little bit as an extratropical system. If it is far enough north, some of the moisture from it could stream northward as a cold front moves across the region. This could enhance the rainfall, making for a very wet time late Saturday and Saturday evening, especially along the South Coast.

Once the cold front moves offshore Saturday night, high pressure will build back in for Sunday and Monday. This will bring a return to sunshine and seasonably mild conditions for the final days of August.

Thursday night: A few showers or thunderstorms along the south coast during the evening, otherwise becoming clear to partly cloudy. Low 55-62, possibly a little cooler across southern NH and the NH Seacoast.

Friday: Partly sunny. High 77-84.

Friday night: Clouds return with showers developing after midnight. Low 60-67.

Saturday: Cloudy with periods of showers and thunderstorms. High 75-82.

Saturday night: Showers and thunderstorms end in the evening, then skies clear out towards daybreak. Low 59-66.

Sunday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 72-79.

Sunday night: Clear skies. Low 50-57.

Monday: Sunshine and a few clouds. High 70-77, coolest along the coast.

We need some rain, and there’s some in the forecast, but we need a lot more.

With high pressure sliding offshore, a warming trend is expected for Friday into Saturday, along with an increase in humidity levels. We’ll remain sunny on Friday, but may see a few more clouds on Saturday. A shower or thunderstorm may pop up here or there on Saturday, but they’ll be few and far between.

By Sunday, things start to change. An upper-level disturbance will head toward the region, bringing us more clouds, along with some showers and thunderstorms. A few of them may produce gusty winds and downpours, but this does not look like a widespread severe outbreak. It also doesn’t look like the widespread rain that we need, but every little bit helps. A cold front then moves through on Monday, with more showers and thunderstorms possible.

Thursday night: Clear skies. Low 55-62.

Friday: Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 83-90.

Friday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 61-68.

Saturday: A mix of sun and clouds, slight chance for an afternoon shower or thunderstorm. High 81-88.

Saturday night: Partly cloudy. Low 61-68.

Sunday: Partly sunny, showers and thunderstorms possible in the afternoon. High 83-90.

Sunday night: Partly cloudy. Low 65-72.

Monday: A mix of sun and clouds, afternoon showers and thunderstorms possible. High 83-90.

In the tropics, Tropical Depression 14 is moving into the western Caribbean and Tropical Depression 13 is approaching the Leeward Islands. The former will be a threat to parts of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula this weekend, and the latter to the Leeward Islands as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. We’ll have a much more detailed blog post about the tropics Friday afternoon or evening.

We’ve got a tug-of-war this weekend between high pressure to our northeast and a frontal boundary stalled out to the south. For the most part, the high should win out.

As high pressure builds in, drier air has also settled in, with dewpoints dropping into the 50s across much of the region. While we’ll still be warm today, cooler air will gradually settle in over the next few days, thanks mainly to east to northeast winds off of the Atlantic. The ocean is about the warmest it will get around here during the year, but it’s still only in the 60s and lower 70s east of New England, so winds blowing off the water will still have a cooling effect, especially along the coastline.

Meanwhile, that front to the south will keep some clouds around, especially along the South Coast. A couple of waves of low pressure will ride along this front. They’ll bring heavy rain and thunderstorms to the Mid-Atlantic states, where flash flood watches and warnings remain in effect, but around here, they won’t do much for now. The first wave should pass harmlessly south of the region, except for possibly a few showers along the south coast this afternoon and evening. It’s the second wave, for late Sunday and Monday, that we’re keeping an eye on. Many of the models have it coming in farther north, bringing us some showers and thunderstorms late Sunday into Monday. However, we’ve also had plenty of times recently when the models have been trying to bring in widespread showers a few days out, and they just haven’t materialized. As we’ve said several times, the old forecaster’s adage is “When in Drought, Leave it Out”. We wouldn’t be surprised if the high pressure area wins out again, and most of us stay dry Sunday night and Monday too.

Thursday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 63-70.

Friday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 79-86, coolest along the coast.

Friday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 60-67.

Saturday: A mix of sun and clouds, breezy. High 73-80, coolest along the coast.

Saturday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 58-65.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a chance for a few showers. High 72-79.

Sunday night: Mostly cloudy, chance for some showers. Low 61-68.

Monday: Plenty of clouds with some sunny breaks, some showers are also possible. High 75-82.

Finally, we’ll briefly mention Tropical Storm Josephine. Tropical Depression 11 strengthened into Tropical Storm Josephine this morning. As of midday, it was centered a little less than 1000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles, moving toward the west-northwest at 15 mph. Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph. Josephine may strengthen a little more in the next day or so, but after that, it will be moving into some rather unfavorable conditions. The current forecast calls for it to pass north of the Antilles this weekend, by which point strong wind shear could rip the system apart. It will likely dissipate without threatening any land areas. Even if it does survive, it will start to recurve and head out to sea north of the Greater Antilles and east of the Bahamas.

It won’t be all sunshine and warm temperatures, but we should be able to salvage a decent weekend around here.

The high pressure system providing us with a nice day today will slide off to the east tonight, while a weak low pressure system moves along a frontal boundary that has stalled out to our south. That will send clouds our way tonight and Friday. Some showers and maybe even a thunderstorm are expected on Friday as the front tries to lift northward, but they’ll likely be confined to areas south of the Mass Pike. With plenty of cloud cover and east to northeast winds, it definitely be cooler than it has been for a while.

As we get to Saturday, a weak upper-level disturbance will move across the region. We’ll still have plenty of clouds, especially early, with a few showers or thunderstorms possible as the disturbance moves through. However, once it exits, skies should start to clear out late in the day, and we’ll get a bit warmer. High pressure returns for Sunday and Monday, with warm and humid conditions returning to the area.

Thursday night: Becoming mostly cloudy. Low 61-68.

Friday: Plenty of clouds with showers, possibly a thunderstorm, mainly south of the Mass Pike. High 74-81.

Friday night: Mostly cloudy with a few showers possible. Low 60-67.

Saturday: Cloudy with some showers or a thunderstorm early, some sunshine develops in the afternoon. High 75-82.

Saturday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 61-68.

Sunday: Sunshine and a few clouds. High 83-90.

Sunday night: Clear skies. Low 64-71.

Monday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 86-93.