Sunday starts cloudy in Philadelphia but turns sunnier for first day of fall

It's officially time to say goodbye to summer as fall begins Sunday at 8:43 a.m.

A sure sign of fall's arrival is the shorter hours of daylight, beginning with Saturday's sunset at 6:59 p.m. That's the first sunset before 7 p.m. since March 6.

By the end of daylight saving time on Nov. 3, the sun will set at 4:56 p.m. and on the first day of winter, Dec. 21 our sunset is at 4:40 p.m.

Sunday morning starts out with clouds and gray skies, but sun will break through for the afternoon. There could be a bit of fog in the Lehigh Valley early on. Highs will be in the low to mid-70s.

Coastal flooding will be a concern through this evening with 1-2' of moderate flooding possible along the shore points and back bays. A coastal flood warning has been issued through 5 p.m. Sunday, followed by a coastal flood advisory through Monday.

Next week will remain very fall like in the low 70s and even upper 60s at times. Monday will be mostly cloudy, and parts of the region could see some sprinkles of rain throughout the day. High temperatures will stay in the low 70s.

Skies stay Tuesday and much needed rain returns Wednesday and Thursday. Any rain is welcome at this point since we are near 2.4 inches below normal for September with only a paltry 0.4" of rain this month.

This lack of rain has led to abnormally dry conditions across the Delaware Valley with pockets of moderate drought. Freshly seeded lawns and fall plants will need some extra watering this weekend.

Here's your 7-day forecast:

Sunday: High of 78, mostly sunny

Monday: High of 72, low of 59, partly cloudy

Tuesday: High of 71, low of 61, mostly cloudy

Wednesday: High of 70, low of 63, scattered showers

Thursday: High of 75, low of 65, scattered showers

Friday: High of 77, low of 65, a few showers

Saturday: High of 76, low of 64, partly cloudy

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