DATE: Friday, October 10, 1997              TAG: 9710100633

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   38 lines

LONG WARM SPELL WILL ABATE THIS WEEKEND

The treat is about over.

A string of June-like days with temperatures in the 80s will finally yield to the calendar this weekend with a return to more traditional October weather.

There's also a chance of some rain early next week.

A cold front stretching from the Midwest and into the Southern Plains on Thursday is expected to move eastward toward Virginia and North Carolina today. Its passage should not be very dramatic, however.

Unlike other frontal intrusions that often bring stormy weather, this front is relatively dry along its southern stretches. The significant moisture and energy within the front are concentrated to the north.

As a result, little more than an increase in cloudiness and a slight drop in temperatures is expected as the front reaches the coast Saturday.

Here is the forecast for the area:

Today: Partly sunny with a high in the mid-80s and southwest winds of 10 mph.

Tonight: Fair with a low in the mid-60s and light southwesterly winds, becoming northerly at 10 to 15 mph.

Saturday: Sunny and not quite as warm with a high in the low to mid-70s and an overnight low around 60.

Sunday and Monday: Sunny and warm with highs in the low 80s each day; clear both evenings with lows around 60.

The recent warm weather, while certainly not unique at this time of year, was unusual in its longevity.

Temperatures topped out in the upper 70s and lower 80s for more than a week. The high of 83 on Thursday, for instance, easily outdistanced the normal high for this time of year: 72.

And even the overnight lows have been warmer than normal. Thursday's was 61, against a normal of 55.

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