Maryland Weekend Weather: Get Ready for a Plunge in Temperatures

Crisp fall weather will return this weekend after a week of summer-like weather in Maryland, with the area seeing an almost 30-degree temperature drop from Friday to Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service is forecasting highs Friday in the 80s and highs Saturday in the 50s. The dip in temperatures will cap a week that saw some record highs, including Wednesday when it reached 87 degrees at Washington Dulles International Airport, according to the NWS. (The previous record for that day was 83 degrees in 1991 and 1963.)

Rain showers are expected to hit the area Friday afternoon (a 70 percent chance, according to the weather service) with a possible thunderstorm, with rain continuing until roughly 9 a.m. Saturday. The rain will begin to usher in a cold front that will see temperatures beginning to drop into the 50s by Friday night around 9 p.m. across the area, according to the National Weather Service.

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Saturday will see highs in the upper 50s, partly sunny skies and gusty winds. No rain is in the forecast for most of Saturday, but wind gusts could reach 25-30 mph, according to The Weather Channel. Sunday is expected to be sunny with highs in the mid-60s. It'll still be a bit breezy, but not as windy as Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Here's a day-by-day look at this weekend, according to the National Weather Service forecast:

• Friday: Partly sunny this morning...then becoming mostly cloudy. Showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. Highs in the lower 80s. Chance of rain 70 percent.
• Friday night: Mostly cloudy. Showers likely, mainly before midnight. Lows in the upper 40s. Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.
• Saturday: Partly sunny and breezy. Cooler with highs in the upper 50s. Northwest winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
• Saturday night: Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 40s. West winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph...diminishing to around 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph after midnight.
• Sunday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 60s. West winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.
• Sunday night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 50s.

PHOTO courtesy of Department of Forestry