Breezy night, near 69 Thursday with a chance of a morning shower

Expect a sunny and milder Wednesday, a breezy, mild night, then a mostly sunny Thursday in the upper 60s, the National Weather Service says.

The forecast

The National Weather Service in Norton expects the following in Gloucester, in its 2:25 a.m. update:

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 62. Southwest wind of 3 to 12 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. Southwest wind around 12 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. A chance of showers between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. (30 percent), with less than a tenth of an inch of rain. Southwest wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. (Updated Wednesday evening.)
• Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49. West wind around 14 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 64. West wind of 7 to 14 mph.
• Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50.

On the water

Update, Wednesday evening: a small craft advisory is in effect for Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay until 11 a.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service says. Tonight, southwest winds around 15 knots with gusts up to 25 knots and seas around 3 feet. Thursday, southwest winds of 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 25 knots, seas of 2 to 3 feet and a chance of showers. Friday, west winds of 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 20 knots and seas around 2 feet.

The morning forecast said:

Today, southwest winds of 5 to 10 knots turn south at 10 to 15 knots this afternoon, with gusts up to 20 knots and seas around 2 feet. Tonight, southwest winds of 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 25 knots and seas of 2 to 3 feet. Thursday, southwest winds of 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 20 knots and seas around 2 feet. Friday, west winds of 5 to 10 knots.

Tides

High tides in Gloucester Harbor, according to NOAA predictions:

• Wednesday: 9:16 a.m. (9.1 feet) and 9:37 p.m. (9.8 feet). Low tides at 2:55 a.m. and 3:17 p.m.
• Thursday: 10:09 a.m. (9.6 feet) and 10:32 p.m. (9.8 feet). Low tides at 3:50 a.m. and 4:14 p.m.
• Friday: 10:57 a.m. (9.9 feet) and 11:22 p.m. (9.7 feet). Low tides at 4:40 a.m. and 5:05 p.m.

Rockport's high tides come a minute or two earlier than Gloucester Harbor's. In the Essex River, they come about 11 to 13 minutes later.

Drought: two meetings this week

The state's most recent drought declaration, from Sept. 10, keeps the Northeast region, which includes Cape Ann, at Level 1, a mild drought. Rockport still bans all outdoor water use. The town's Ad Hoc Water Committee meets today at 2 p.m. on Zoom, and its agenda includes squaring the state's drought level with the town's. The state's drought task force meets Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Why Rockport banned outdoor watering as the drought eased. Read the rules for each town.

Earlier coverage: Sunny, cool and gusty Tuesday, then warming to near 69 by Thursday (Oct. 6), Tuesday's forecast.

Update, Oct. 7: Added the evening forecast for Thursday and Friday and the small craft advisory for Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay.