News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Aaron Bruski, left, performs a trick on his skateboard while his friend Rob Bak looks on. The two men were enjoying the nice weather in Alpena on Tuesday at the local skatepark.

ALPENA — People in Northeast Michigan are going to have a chance to take their boat out, visit the beach, or take a drive or walk to look at the colors from the leaves changing this weekend, as a late burst summer-like weather is expected.

The National Weather Service (NWS) predicts that temperatures will reach the 80-degree mark on Saturday and Sunday, which is a far cry from the more recent high temperatures the Alpena area has experienced lately.

Temperatures will struggle to reach 65 degrees today and climb to about 70 during the daytime hours of Thursday.

The warm front will roll into the area and bring unseasonably warm air that sets the state for the summer-like weekend.

The Weather Service forecasts that temperatures could climb into the upper 70s on Friday, with a slight chance of peaking in the low 80s inland and further away from Lake Huron. As of Tuesday afternoon, the NWS said temperatures could climb to about 81 degrees.

It is unlikely that any temperature records will be broken this weekend however, as NWS data shows that record temperatures are in the mid to upper 80s for Oct. 3-5.

Beginning Monday, the weather will steadily begin to shift to what is more typical for this time of year. The NWS says Monday will remain somewhat warm with high temperatures peaking at about 71 degrees, but then cool air returns and temperatures will fluctuate between the low to mid 60s for the balance of the week.

There is little to no chance of rain forecasted until Tuesday when there is only a 40% chance of precipitation.

The area has been without significant rain for some time and after quickly sliding from being in severe drought last year and early this year, the drought tag was removed after the rain and thaw in the spring saturated the ground.

However, drought is becoming an issue and is beginning to move into Northeast Michigan again. On Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor, which monitors and grades the level of drought in the United States, classified parts of Alcona County as being in D0, which means it is abnormally dry. If the dry pattern continues, it is likely Alpena County and other nearby counties could also see their drought levels increased.

The Alpena area was classified as D2, which is considered extreme drought for many months last year and the early part of 2025.

John Boris, a meteorologist for the NWS, said there is little significant rain forecasted until the middle of the month. He said the long-term precipitation prediction from the National Weather Prediction Center gives Northeast Michigan a 40% chance of receiving more than the average rain for the second half of the month, but Boris warned that the weather models used to predict weather more than a week out are not always accurate.

“It is still going to remain kind of warm for this time of year until the middle of the month and when that warm weather breaks down is when we may see some precipitation,” Boris said. “But, there is also a lot of uncertainty when you look that far out, so it could also remain dry.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.