Cold, clear start near 41, then sunny and dry; warming to the upper 70s by the weekend

Automatic update, 11:47 a.m.: It's running warmer than NWS's earlier hour-by-hour forecast: at 11:15 a.m. the La Porte airport reported clear and 68 degrees, where that forecast had about 62. There are no watches, warnings, or advisories for La Porte County right now.

Today (Tuesday): sunny, with a high near 70 and a south wind 5 to 10 mph; NWS Northern Indiana says a few gusts around 20 mph are possible later today into Wednesday. Tonight: mostly clear and much milder, with a low around 54 and a southwest wind around 10 mph. No rain is in the forecast, and NWS hour-by-hour rain chances show today dry through work hours (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.). At 4:55 a.m. the La Porte airport reported partly cloudy skies and 41 degrees, with the dew point also at 41 (100% humidity), calm wind and 10 miles of visibility. With temperatures and dew points that close, expect wet or dewy windshields this morning, so give yourself an extra minute to clear them before you drive.

Wednesday: mostly sunny and warmer, with a high near 74 and a west wind around 10 mph; Wednesday night partly cloudy, with a low around 53. Thursday: sunny and cooler, with a high near 65 (low around 46). Friday: sunny, with a high near 68 (low around 49). Saturday: sunny and warm, with a high near 77 (low around 56). Sunday: mostly sunny, with a high near 79 (low around 55 Sunday night). Columbus Day Monday: mostly sunny, with a high near 73, then a chance of rain showers after 7 p.m. Monday night (34% in the NWS forecast), with a low around 53. Until then the NWS forecast is dry, so this looks like a good week for outdoor work and fall chores. The four computer models we also check agree with NWS within a few degrees for Wednesday and Thursday; our blend of NWS and the models has Wednesday's high near 72.

What changed since yesterday's Scoop: the week stays dry, but the weekend looks warmer. Wednesday's high is near 74 (from 72), Thursday's high is near 65 (from 68), Thursday night's low is around 46 (from 48), Friday night's low is around 49 (from 47), Saturday's high is near 77 (from 72), Saturday night's low is around 56 (from 53), and Sunday's high is near 79 (from 76). Today's high near 70, tonight's low around 54 and Friday's high near 68 are unchanged. Columbus Day Monday is now in the forecast, with the first rain chance in more than a week Monday night. This morning NWS Northern Indiana forecasters say the forecast is on track: a few spots north of US 6, which includes La Porte, were trending toward the upper 30s this morning, but dew points in the low 40s should keep it from getting much colder. They expect a weak upper-level ridge to warm things up today and Wednesday, with a few spots south and west of us near 80 Wednesday, then a weak trough Thursday bringing more clouds and a cooler Thursday and Friday before highs climb back into the 70s, a few near 80, this weekend into early next week. They see no rain chances until late in the weekend, and for now only for the far southeastern part of their area, as a tropical disturbance moves northeast from Texas into the Ohio Valley. Yesterday we said a high of 64; the La Porte airport got 66.

Right now there are no watches, warnings or advisories for La Porte County, northern or southern, and none for Porter or Lake counties next door. The Weather Prediction Center has no flooding-rain risk for La Porte for the next five days. The Storm Prediction Center has no thunderstorm or severe risk at La Porte today through Thursday, and no severe risk areas anywhere in the country.