Balmy weather that touched the area on Monday should continue to some degree through the week, but keep the umbrella close at hand.

Even though increasing cloudiness is expected today, the high temperature is still expected to remain in the 60s.

The chance for rain increases as the week goes along, but the mercury is expected to rise to 67 by Thursday, forecasters say.

Sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s are expected to return Friday, then it’s back to a chance for rain — and cooler weather — through the weekend.

The sunny skies, afternoon temperatures in the 60s and low humidity have prompted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to schedule a prescribed burn today of 35-40 acres at Little Ridge Park in Forsyth County.

“Right now, the weather is looking good ... and we haven’t had rain for a few days,” Chief Ranger Jeff Emmert said. “(Burn plans) could change if it ends up being too windy.”

The dry weather, along with some breezes, did raise concerns on Monday.

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City issued a special statement alerting residents about “high fire danger conditions,” based on relative humidities that were less than 25 percent for about four hours in the afternoon.

At work was high pressure over the Southeast keeping the air mass over the state dry and mild.
Residents were urged to check with authorities concerning whether they could burn debris outdoors.

“If you do burn outside, use extreme caution,” the weather service said.

More rain is needed to refill Lake Lanier, which stood at 1,062.45 feet above sea level Monday, or 7« feet short of the winter full pool of 1,070 feet.

Still, the lake, which had dropped to 1,057.91 feet on Nov. 14, has picked up a foot of water in the past week.

And the drought that dogged Hall for most of last year is fading, with North Hall now experiencing normal conditions and South Hall now considered just “abnormally dry,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.