Quiet Thursday night with a wet pattern expected over the weekend

Meteorologist Sam Lucey has a look at the week ahead

After a quiet and pleasant night, a much wetter pattern is set to take hold across the Mississippi Gulf Coast heading into the weekend.

Tonight will remain mostly clear with temperatures falling into the lower 70s. An easterly breeze around 10 to 15 mph will continue overnight.

By Friday, moisture increases across the region, bringing scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially in the afternoon. High temperatures will top out near 84 degrees under mostly cloudy skies. Some storms could produce brief heavy downpours, though widespread severe weather is not expected at this time.

Rain chances continue to climb Friday night as a more organized area of moisture moves into the region. Showers and thunderstorms become likely overnight, with some locations picking up a half-inch of rainfall or more.

Saturday appears to be the wettest day of the forecast. Widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected throughout the day, with highs staying in the lower 80s thanks to the increased cloud cover and rainfall.

The unsettled pattern lingers into Sunday with scattered showers and thunderstorms likely, especially during the first half of the day. While not everyone will see rain all weekend long, most communities should expect at least a few rounds of wet weather.

Looking ahead to next week, rain chances gradually decrease. Isolated afternoon storms remain possible Monday through Thursday, but sunshine will become more common, and temperatures will climb back into the upper 80s by midweek.