NORFOLK, Va. — Overall, a pretty nice weather pattern is setting up for the region, with pleasant temperatures and increasing sunshine. A weak cold front will slowly cross the area late tonight through Saturday, but a stronger cold front moves through Monday, bringing a taste of fall next week.
Overnight, look for fairly cloudy skies with overnight lows in the upper 50s and lower 60s. Some patchy fog may redevelop overnight, especially in western Hampton Roads.
The weekend is generally looking pretty nice by early-October standards. The aforementioned cold front should clear the area by mid-morning, helping to scour out some of the cloud cover. So, while it will start out partly-to-mostly cloudy, expect mostly sunny skies in the by mid--to-late afternoon. High temperatures Saturday will be similar to today, in the upper 70s to lower 80s.
Sunday is looking quite nice as well, with mostly sunny skies and highs once again in the upper 70s to lower 80s.
Late Monday, a strong cold front is expected to push through the area, giving us a chance of a few showers Monday night, and then ushering some very fall-like weather through the end of next week.
Ahead of the front, temperatures will climb to around 80° on Monday. By Tuesday, high temperatures will drop about 10°, to the lower 70s. The taste of fall will stick around much of the week, with dry, sunny weather and highs around 70° through Friday.
In the Tropics...
The tropics continue to be active with Hurricane Kirk and Hurricane Leslie in the central Atlantic.
Kirk became this season's third major hurricane earlier this week, and although it has weakened some on Friday, it is still a major hurricane of Category 4 strength. Sustained winds are down to 130 mph, with gusts to 160 mph. The forecast track keeps Kirk well away from land through the middle of next week, where it will likely have impacts on the weather in Europe. Kirk could be a major wave-generator for Bermuda and the East Coast of the United States.
Late Friday night, Tropical Storm Leslie strengthened into Hurricane Leslie, the 8th hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. Leslie is in the far Eastern Atlantic, moving west-northwest at 7 mph, following on the heels of Hurricane Kirk.
Like Kirk, Leslie poses no immediate threat to land. While it may travel a bit farther west than Kirk's current path, it too will likely get picked up and turned to the north by a frontal boundary as it moves through the central Atlantic.
Elsewhere, a broad area of low pressure, located over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Gradual development of this system is expected, and a tropical or subtropical depression or storm is likely to form late this weekend or early next week while the system moves eastward or northeastward across the Gulf of Mexico. This system has a 70% chance of development. Interests in the Florida Peninsula and the Florida Keys should monitor the progress of this system. Regardless of tropical or subtropical development, locally heavy rains could occur over portions of Mexico during the next day or two, and over much of Florida late this weekend through the middle of next week.
Additionally, a tropical wave is expected to move off the west coast of Africa on Monday or Tuesday. Some development of this system is possible thereafter while it moves westward or west-northwestward across the eastern tropical Atlantic. Interests in the Cabo Verde Islands should monitor the progress of this system. Right now, there is a 30% chance of development in the next week.
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