On this Mother's Day, Mother Nature will be mostly gracious giving us mostly cloudy skies, with welcome periods of sunshine,  and springtime warmth with highs in the low to mid 70s. A disturbance to our south  brought rain to southwest Virginia and the Richmond area earlier today, but the Washington-Baltimore corridor was largely dry and  should remain so throughout the day. A ridge of high pressure has begun to assert its influence and we can look for northerly breezes and clearing skies in the overnight hours. The early part of the week through Wedneday should be quite plasant with partly to mostly sunny skies and highs in the low to mid 70s throughout. Forecast models show a return of  low pressure late in the week with showers possible both Friday and Saturday and temperatures dropping to the upper 60s.

Mother's Day is often mentioned as the day when all worries of a killing frost are past and gardening can begin in earnest.  While that is generally true - and especially so for urban areas - the last frost date can be fickle and it is wise to closely follow the forecasts.  For Washington, DC, for instance,  the average final frost date is April 23. But in nearby Winchester, Virginia and Hagerstown, Maryland, it is May 3rd and in Oakland in far western Maryland, it is not until June 5.  So on this Mother's Day, May 8, be good to your annuals and, more importantly,  be very good to your mom.