Overview
- Following Thursday's cool, breezy weather, forecasts point to a quick warm-up from Friday into the weekend across many regions.
- Maine and parts of New England will get a beneficial soaking through Friday morning with 1 to 2.5 inches of rain before a brighter, warmer weekend.
- Friday and Saturday bring isolated to widely scattered showers or a few storms in several areas, yet most hours look dry for outdoor plans.
- Early next week turns summerlike with many inland highs in the 80s and some near or above 90 degrees, with records approached in parts of Pennsylvania.
- Rain and thunder chances increase from Sunday into midweek as Gulf moisture feeds an approaching front, while drought updates show improvement near New Orleans but worsening in south‑central Pennsylvania.