March 16, 2010, 5 p.m.

The very large and slow-moving storm system off the Mid-Atlantic states has shifted far enough the the east so that it is no longer having a substantial impact on our weather and winds have lightened notably since Monday.

High clouds filled in on Tuesday on a strong jet stream flow and the lack of heating kept the area well below average for the middle of March.

As our next storm system pushes toward the eastern Gulf of Mexico, we will see increased cloud cover overnight with milder temperatures in the low to mid 50s and a chance of showers developing over the area around daybreak.

Wednesday and Thursday will both be cloudy with a slight chance of showers with morning lows in the upper 40s and afternoon highs near 70 degrees, which will be 8 to 10 degrees below normal for this time of year.

A fresh northwest flow will develop on Thursday on the back side of an area of low pressure pushing into the western Atlantic, which will bring another dry air mass across the state for Friday and Saturday.

Friday and Saturday will be partly sunny with lows in the upper 40s and highs in the low to mid 70s.

The next storm system will follow high pressure into the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday and Monday with an increasing southerly flow warming the area into the upper 70s and low 80s on Sunday with a slight chance of rain on Sunday and Monday.

Boating conditions will be marginal on Wednesday with a weakening short period wind swell in the water putting a chop on the water. Surf conditions will not be great on Wednesday, but will improve significantly on Thursday with a 3-foot to 5-foot swell expected by this time period.