If there ever was an ideal day to play hooky from work or school, today would be the day. As it turns out, it’s also National Bike to Work Day, and you couldn’t ask for better weather for this. This weekend will be a mixed bag though, with rain developing later on Saturday and possible Sunday. Looking ahead, a Bermuda High sets up in the next week and will push temperatures above normal.

Rest of today – picture perfect conditions, mostly sunny, high temperatures in the mid-70s.

Saturday – mostly cloudy with rain developing in the afternoon and evening hours. A low pressure system offshore to our south will be the cause of this rain, though the heaviest rain likely won’t make it onshore. High temperatures cool off into the mid-60s with cloud cover and winds moving from southeast to north as the low progresses.

Sunday – a lingering chance for rain in the morning, followed by mostly cloudy conditions, but slightly warmer with high temperatures in the upper-60s.

Monday – small chance for showers in the afternoon, high temperatures again in the upper-60s with mostly cloudy skies.

Finally Warming Up – Drought Development Likely

The development of a Bermuda high in the 6-10 day range will result in above normal temperatures for much of the Northeast, as you see from the following charts from the Climate Prediction Center. While we’re all yearning for warmer temperatures with the cool spring we’ve had, the warmth and lack of rain will be conducive for the development of drought conditions this spring. We had just recovered from a persistent, though only moderate drought this winter, but we’re way behind in terms of precipitation averages for this time of year.