Labor Day weekend brings mostly pleasant late summer weather, with chance of thunderstorms

The unofficial end to summer always seems to sneak up on us. Before too long, we'll be breaking out the winter clothes and snow shovels. But let's not get ahead of ourselves — we have some fantastic late summer weather to enjoy to kick off our holiday weekend.

Saturday will be a top-10 weather day in my book. A dome of high pressure, or fair weather, is shifting east of New England, providing ample sunshine, low humidity and pleasant temperatures.

Expect highs either side of 80 inland, and 70s at the coast with a gentle breeze out of the southeast around 10 mph.

On the backside of that high, clouds will increase Saturday night, a sign of moisture moving into New England. Dew points will climb back into the 60s.

While not oppressive, you'll certainly notice the difference in humidity on Sunday. It'll be hot too — highs will top out in the mid- to upper 80s for many, and there's an outside shot we could hit 90.

A cold front will approach from the northwest later in the day, sparking scattered thunderstorms along its path. I'm not anticipating widespread severe weather, though a few storms could get a little feisty with torrential rain, brief wind gusts up to 40 mph and lightning.

It's not a day to cancel outdoor activities, but it's certainly one to be weather-aware and have a backup plan to seek shelter inside, should you need to. Keep an eye to the sky, especially from 2 to 8 p.m.

That front stalls over us on Labor Day itself, keeping us unsettled for the majority of the day. It'll be much cooler too, around 70, with periodic rain and embedded thunder possible.

Outdoor plans will need to be flexible with an indoor option, given the uncertainty and potential for wet weather off and on through the day.