DELMARVA - A warm, breezy and increasingly humid day is expected across Sussex County on Wednesday before a strong cold front brings showers and the potential for thunderstorms overnight into Thursday morning.
Wednesday will feel more like late spring than early March as south to southwest winds strengthen ahead of an approaching storm system. Gusts of 20 to 25 mph are possible during the day, helping push warm, moisture-rich air into southern Delaware.
High temperatures are forecast to climb into the mid to upper 70s inland, with cooler conditions lingering near the beaches because of wind coming off the cold Atlantic. The combination of warmth and rising humidity could put some inland communities near daily record highs, although increasing cloud cover may limit how warm it gets.
Most of Wednesday morning is expected to remain dry, with clouds increasing through the day. By late afternoon and evening, scattered showers may begin to develop, especially as the cold front draws closer from the west.
The forecast grows more active Wednesday night. Showers are expected to become more widespread, and thunderstorms may develop as the front moves toward the region. Forecasters say the atmosphere will be warm and moist enough to support thunder, while strong winds aloft could allow some storms to become severe.
The main concern is the potential for damaging wind gusts, though isolated hail and a brief tornado cannot be ruled out. The greatest severe weather threat is expected to remain just west of Sussex County, but an earlier arrival of the line of storms could increase the risk locally late Wednesday evening into the overnight hours.
By Thursday morning, the cold front should be moving through or just east of the county. Showers may linger behind the front for a time, but the risk of thunderstorms is expected to diminish quickly after daybreak as cooler, drier air begins to move in.
Temperatures Thursday are expected to fall after the front passes, with much colder and windier conditions arriving later in the day.