Sunny, breezy and near 58 Thursday, then rain Friday and a gale watch on the water

Thursday is sunny, cool and breezy, the National Weather Service says. Rain moves in Friday, and a gale watch is posted for the bays from Friday evening into Saturday.

The forecast

The National Weather Service in Norton expects the following in Gloucester, in its 2:30 a.m. update:

• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 58. North wind 3 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Thursday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. Southeast wind 1 to 10 mph.
• Friday: Rain showers likely in the morning, then showers and patchy fog until about 4 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 66. South wind 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of rain 90 percent, with a quarter to half an inch possible.
• Friday night: Showers likely and patchy fog. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. West wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.
• Saturday: A chance of showers before 8 a.m., then partly sunny and much cooler, with a high near 51. Northwest wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.

On the water

A small craft advisory is in effect for Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay until 2 p.m. today, and a gale watch runs from Friday evening through Saturday evening. Today, north winds of 15 to 20 knots with gusts up to 30 knots, easing to 10 to 15 knots this afternoon, with seas of 2 to 3 feet. Tonight, east winds around 5 knots. Friday brings south winds of 15 to 20 knots with gusts up to 30 knots, showers and patchy fog. Friday night, winds turn west at 20 to 25 knots after midnight, and Saturday, northwest winds of 20 to 25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots and seas of 3 to 4 feet.

Tides

High tides in Gloucester Harbor, according to NOAA predictions:

• Thursday: 2:50 a.m. (8.1 feet) and 2:56 p.m. (9.1 feet). Low tides at 8:43 a.m. and 9:20 p.m.
• Friday: 3:35 a.m. (7.8 feet) and 3:41 p.m. (8.7 feet). Low tides at 9:27 a.m. and 10:08 p.m.

Rockport's tides come 3 to 5 minutes earlier than Gloucester Harbor's. In the Essex River, they come about 1 to 27 minutes later.

Rain and the drought

The state's drought status page still lists Cape Ann's region at Level 2, Significant Drought, declared Oct. 9. The state's Drought Management Task Force next meets Nov. 6. Read what the drought level means.

Gloucester's Halloween party at Stage Fort Park has moved to Sunday because of the weekend storm. Read more.

Earlier coverage: Morning fog, then partly sunny and near 72 Wednesday (Oct. 14), Wednesday's forecast.