Morning clouds today give way to some sunshine later

Rainy and damp stretch ahead starting Friday and lasting into next week…

TODAY: AM Clouds, PM Sun. Hi 66.

TONIGHT: Increasing Clouds. Lo 50.

FRIDAY: Rainy & Breezy. Hi 56. Winds: E 10-20 mph. Gusts to 30 mph.

Most of yesterday provided enough sunshine to warm backyards into the low 60s for the afternoon. There was also enough instability to create spotty showers and a few isolated thunderstorms. Some areas reported pea-size hail too. A few more locations picked up more rain overnight as a trough moved through and will exit later this morning.

Today will be dry even though clouds will dominate the first part of the day as that trough exits from overnight. More sunshine is expected this afternoon with seasonable highs in the mid-60s. Today will likely be the warmest day of the week — and the last dry day. So if you need to get outside or have some outdoor work to tackle, get it done today! A damp and dreary stretch is ahead starting tomorrow.

Friday will feature the first in a stretch of cool, dreary, and likely rainy days. There are going to be two separate systems that bring Central PA significant rainfall through the weekend. The first system will move in tomorrow with periods of rain developing in the morning and spreading across the viewing area through the afternoon. Expect steady and, at times, heavy rainfall tomorrow through early Saturday. Saturday will start wet with drier conditions arriving by the afternoon. Clouds and drizzle will likely persist Saturday, but the steady showers will exit during the morning. Sunday will bring round 2 of steady and, at times, heavy rain. This round will continue through Sunday night. Round 1 will bring between 1-2″ of rain through early Saturday. Round 2 will bring another 1-2″ of rain from Sunday into Monday. The region needed a solid rain after starting the year over 4″ in the hole. This stretch should help tremendously.

The extended outlook shows the first week of May remains chilly with highs in the 50s and 60s, and more shower chances nearly every day as an upper low hangs around the Northeast yet again. We’ll keep you posted.

-Meteorologist Brett Thackara