We are likely to get our first rain in a week over the next few days, and while it’s not likely to be heavy, it could be the last decent rain we see for the next two weeks. The high pressure system that’s keeping Hurricane Florence and the newly formed Tropical Storm Gordon from getting very close to the United States is also bringing us pleasant weather. Over the next 48 hours, a strengthening southwesterly flow will allow some of the rain that’s been over the Florida panhandle for the past few days to come our way.

After that, things clear out, and we move into a period of warmer than normal temperatures with lower than normal rain that’s likely to take us into the beginning of the last week of September. Warmer than normal temps this time of year keep us in the mid 80s, as opposed to the normal of around 80 degrees. The precipitation forecast could change, however, if a tropical storm should reach the east coast.

Fall is now ten days away, though, and around the country, cooler weather is settling in. Lows tonight in Maine will be in the 30s, while temperatures will drop below 30 degrees in Montana by the weekend, with lows in the 40s in much of the Northwest. It won’t be long before we’ll be seeing some of these cooler temperatures as well.

The hoped for cooler temperatures and lower humidity forecast for Labor Day weekend never really happened. Various parts of Gwinnett saw showers both Saturday and Sunday, although so far Labor Day itself remains dry, despite a 40% chance of rain. Two powerful upper level lows — one over the Midwest, and the other over the northeast — combined to keep tropical air in the Atlanta area over the weekend.

The good news is that by Tuesday evening, the surface front associated with the lows, which has been planted over north Georgia, will move further south, and allow dryer, cooler air into the area. By Wednesday evening, we could see overnight lows in the 50s, which would be the first time temperatures dropped that low since back on June 7th. The pleasant weather will last most of the week, and possibly into the weekend, before another wave of rain comes in. In fact, the long range forecast from the 10th through the 16th calls for below normal temperatures, and below normal rainfall.

What could change that, though, is Tropical Depression Six, which formed yesterday in the Atlantic. It’s off to a somewhat slow start, with winds not going much above 35 MPH. However, the depression could become a topical storm by tomorrow, and a hurricane by Friday. Depending on its path, it could be causing problems somewhere along the east coast by this time next week.