Tracking warmer temps and a long stretch of bright October days

We are heading into an extreme warm-up for October, with an extended stretch of sunshine, dry weather and temperatures running well above average. If you're looking for fall, you're going to have to wait a little longer.

Today, Friday: Sunshine takes over with a high around 78°. Winds will be light early, becoming west around 5 to 10 mph this afternoon, with a few gusts possibly approaching 20 mph. It will be a chilly start, with morning temperatures in the 40s, so you'll want the jacket early — but you'll probably be carrying it by afternoon.

Tonight: Clear to partly cloudy and cool, with lows around 46°.

Saturday: The warm-up continues. Look for sunny skies and a high around 77°. Winds stay relatively light, and with plenty of sunshine, this is shaping up to be a fantastic day to get outdoors. Football, hiking, yard work, leaf peeping — you name it.

Saturday night: Clear skies with lows near 48°.

Then comes the big jump.

Sunday: We're turning the thermostat way up for October with sunshine and a high near 81°. That's an exceptionally warm day for early October and puts us into record-challenging territory in some locations. It will feel more like late summer than fall.

And if you have outdoor plans Sunday, this is the day to take advantage of it. We're talking warm, dry and mostly cloud-free conditions.

Sunday night: Mostly clear with a mild low around 50°.

Monday: We stay unusually warm, with a high near 79° and mostly sunny skies. There could be a little more moisture around, but the atmosphere remains quite dry, so shower chances look limited.

Tuesday: A slight step down, but hardly a cold front — we're still looking at a high around 76° with sunshine.

Wednesday: Another 76° day with plenty of sunshine.

Thursday: Still warm, with a high around 77° and mostly sunny skies.

So look at that temperature trend:

72° → 77° → 81° → 79° → 76° → 76° → 77°

That is one heck of a warm stretch for October.

And the bigger story is that the warmth doesn't just spike for one afternoon — it sticks around. High pressure remains the dominant player, keeping the storm track displaced and limiting our chances for meaningful precipitation.

So yes, mornings will remind you that it is October. You'll see temperatures in the 40s, so grab that jacket when you walk out the door.

But don't forget to bring it home.

Because by afternoon, we're talking 70s and 80s, sunshine and very dry conditions.

Fall foliage, football weather and outdoor plans are all looking good this weekend. Enjoy it, because this kind of warmth is anything but typical for October — and right now, the pattern shows more warmth continuing well into next week.

Jeff Roper, First Alert Weather