The clouds are closing in, bringing what forecasters say will be several days of likely rain for the region. So today's delightful late-summer forecast of sunshine and blue skies may be the last we see until Sunday.

For now, we're under the influence of a big high pressure system over Eastern Canada. But there is a cold front approaching from the north, and that will bring a gradually increasing cloud cover with more easterly winds late today, and eventually rain. Forecast rain chances climb to 70 percent in the next few days as lows moving along the stalled front drag in more moisture from the ocean and the Gulf.

BWI-Marshall has had almost 2 inches of rain so far in September, just about normal for the month to date.

There is no change yet in the forecast for the beaches, and tonight's planned launch of a 65-foot Black Brant XII rocket from the NASA Wallops Flight facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore. Scientists plan to release a high-altitude cloud of aluminum particles that may be visible from much of the mid-Atlantic region.

The launch window opens at 7:40 p.m. and closes at 7:57. Forecasters gave the launch a 60 percent chance of favorable weather. There's more on the event in the previous post.

Here is the Wallops forecast. Looks a lot like ours.