When Scotty the dog woke up and looked outside, all he saw were clouds. Many people in the Middle and North Atlantic states pretty much had the same view.

Another cloudy morning

But Scotty was looking to the east at that time. A view to the west brought optimism as a large rift in the cloudiness allowed blue to show through.

All was not perfect, however. In response to surface heating along with the chilly air aloft, cumulus clouds billowed skyward and produced showers. This panoramic view of the sky shows the scattered nature of the showers. On the left side of the picture, we see a shower. To the right, it's virtually clear. The clouds and showers will still affect parts of New England overnight and early tomorrow.

But what about the weekend? With the current storm departing and a high pressure area moving in, sunshine is likely for most places in the Northeast.

The following GFS prog series for Saturday, Sunday and Monday, shows showers and thunderstorms in the Plains and Midwest, but no rain reaching Pennsylvania until Monday.

As today came to an end, some high clouds could be seen near the southwest horizon from my vantage point in central Pennsylvania. Curious to see how far away those clouds were, I obtained an early evening satellite picture. The high clouds in my photograph were actually well over 100 miles away.

As this Friday came to an end, Scotty and I were creating lengthening shadows. Soon, it would turn cool under the dark night sky. The first fireflies of the season have been coming out the last few days. Eventually will come the sounds of the lecturing locusts that will become part of our days, then be replaced by a cricket symphony at night. Myriads of stars will shimmer an eternity away. The nighttime hours are at their shortest for the next few weeks and eventually gossiping birds will betray the secret of the coming dawn. At the ocean beaches love will blossom under the caress of the warm south wind. Sumner is a time for making memories, here's hoping that happens for you as well.

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.com