The first frost of the season could arrive tonight in the far western reaches of Maryland. But for us lowlanders, the forecast for the weekend - and beyond - could not be more perfect.

Forecasters this morning are talking about a series of cold fronts projected to sweep across the region from now through Sunday. There's is no rain associated with any of them, just some clouds. And there seems to be little or no concern that they will cut much into the sunshine we'll see during the day, or the stars we'll enjoy at night.

For far-western Garrett County, though, radiational cooling - the loss of daytime heat into space through cloud-free night skies - will drop air temperatures to near 40 degrees. Because some surfaces can lose more heat than the air around them, that will mean "patchy" frost in the most vulnerable locations. Friendsville, in Garrett County, is expecting a low of 38 degrees tonight.

We won't see anything like that. Insulated by the lingering warmth of the ocean and the bay, we're expected to remain in the low 50s tonight, with highs tomorrow near 70 degrees. That's 7 degrees cooler than the long-term averages for this time of year at BWI. In fact, the high of 70 degrees predicted for tomorrow would be the coolest daytime high at the airport since May 28.  

The forecast, in short, looks perfect. Sunshine and highs in the 70s every day through next Wednesday. If you were thinking of retiring (and have anything left in your 401K), the coming week would be a great time to bail out and put the rocker out on the porch. Golden Days, indeed. If not, a round of golf, or the bike trail, or a walk in the park will have to do.

The tropics remain quiet.