As the drought worsens, fire danger remains in the Philadelphia area. Here’s the full forecast.

Fire danger has increased across the region, and while that is not the case red flag warning has been issued, the area is still in extreme fire danger as we have now been on the road for 26 days no measurable rainfall. All residents of the Delaware Valley are urged to avoid using flames outdoors and use caution when smoking.

Yesterday a cold front passed through, bringing much cooler and drier air, along with wind gusts of up to 50 km per hour. Another cold front will move through the area on Saturday, but that front also appears to be devoid of rain, and it will bring in even colder air with highs on Sunday in the mid-50s. Temperatures will then return to the mid 70s early next week and could reach the 80s again by Halloween! The record high temperature on Halloween is 82 degrees, set in 1946.

Our drought conditions are getting worse. We are now more than 6 inches below average for fall season rainfall. There has been no rain this month and only 0.77 inches has fallen since September 1. A new drought map was released from the Drought Monitor on Thursday, and the area of severe drought has spread with the risk of areas with extreme drought.

Unfortunately, this rainless streak will continue into the weekend as we inch closer to a 150-year-old record for the longest dry stretch in Philly history: 29 days in the fall of 1874. The next best chance for rain would be around Halloween can come. Stay informed.

On the bright side, we’ll have sun and dry conditions this weekend, providing another opportunity to decorate for Halloween, rake leaves, or enjoy a drive to take in the fall colors.

Enjoy the later hours of daylight while you can. We turn back the clock one hour and return to standard time in eleven days on Sunday, November 3.

Here’s your seven-day forecast:

Friday: Mostly sunny. High 66, low 42.

Saturday: Sunny, nice. High 59, low 51.

Sunday: Cooler. High 60, low 42.

Monday: Cool, sunny. High 62, low 39.

Tuesday: Milder. High 69, low 42.

Wednesday: Hot! High 77, low 55.

Thursday: Nice and mild. High 80, low 58.

NEXT Weather radars

Hourly forecast