PM Update: Mostly clear and mostly awesome

Pretty nice weather ahead; Weekend rain risk?

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It's days like this that make the next few weeks perhaps my favorite time of year around here. Temperatures have slowly risen through the 70s toward ranging from the upper 70s to near 80. A gusty breeze from the north and northwest is the only real downside, but other than those dealing with some small brush fires, it's not too bad. Of course, we could use some rain and it doesn't look like too much is out there in the future...

Through Tonight: Winds should subside as the sun sets, and in this air mass that will set the stage for a pretty cool night. Temperatures near 70 around sunset fall to lows in the lower 50s in the cooler suburbs to the upper 50s downtown.

Tomorrow (Friday): Another spectacular day to finish off the short work week. Mostly sunny skies and highs mainly in the mid-70s should be pretty fantastic. Winds from the northwest will pick back up a bit during the day, but probably no more than 10 mph sustained or so.

See David Streit's forecast through the beginning of next week. And if you haven't already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Tropics: The tropics continue to be active after Tropical Storm Igor formed yesterday near the coast of Africa and another tropical wave nears depression status today in the Caribbean Sea. Igor is far enough east that it won't even be on the radar screen for a few days, but it is likely to become a hurricane on its trek westward. The other wave, currently near the Windward Islands is organizing and threatening to move through the very warm Caribbean. Weather Underground's Jeff Masters highlights both systems while focusing on the one not yet named which he calls "dangerous".