Hurricane Isaias will not reach Cape Ann this weekend, but its leftovers may bring rain Sunday night

Hurricane Isaias is headed for the northern Gulf Coast, more than 1,000 miles from Cape Ann, and will not bring storm conditions here this weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service in Norton.

What is left of the storm could bring a round of rain late Sunday into Columbus Day.

Where the storm is

At 5 a.m. Eastern time Thursday, Isaias was in the Gulf of Mexico about 170 miles northwest of Progreso, Mexico, with top winds of 80 mph, the hurricane center said. It was moving east-northeast at 9 mph and strengthening.

Forecasters expect it to come close to major hurricane strength before it nears the coast Friday. A hurricane warning covers Ocean Springs, Miss., to the Florida Panhandle. The center's forecast takes Isaias inland over the Southeast early Saturday, then weakens it over the Tennessee Valley, where it should fall apart by Monday.

What it means for Cape Ann

• Friday and Saturday: Dry and sunny, with highs in the low to mid 60s. Saturday morning may be frosty in spots, forecasters say.
• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 66.
• Sunday night and Monday: Rain showers are likely after 9 p.m. Sunday (70 percent) and into Columbus Day (60 percent), the forecast for Gloucester says.

The weather service in Norton expects the storm's leftover moisture to be swept north by a passing weather system and pushed through quickly. Forecasters call it a fairly typical rain for the region and do not expect flooding or damaging winds. Their guidance shows a quarter inch of rain or less in northern Massachusetts and up to about 1.25 inches on the South Shore.

That timing leaves most of the long weekend dry. Saturday's art shows, open studios and farmers market should see sun, and Magtoberfest in Magnolia runs Sunday before the rain is expected. See what's happening this weekend.

Forecasts for a storm this far away can shift. We will update this story if the outlook for Cape Ann changes.

Earlier coverage: Morning shower chance, then sunny and cooler into the weekend (Oct. 8), today's forecast and tides.