If you’re headed out to a New Year’s Eve party tonight, you might carry an umbrella — and not just to catch the spray from the champagne bottles.

Clouds will thicken up tonight as 2004 comes to a close, bringing an ever-so-slight chance for a shower to christen the new year, says Tim Reith, 6News meteorologist.

Latest forecast

However, today’s weather will continue to be mild, with temperatures well above normal, Reith said. Winds will be 10-15 mph. from the southwest.

“We will see filtered sunshine and the temperature will climb to 62 degrees,” he said. The average high for Dec. 31 is 39, and the record high is 65, set in 1951, he said.

At 8:30 a.m., the temperature was 30 and was expected to rise to 52 by noon.

“We should see mostly sunny skies in the morning hours. But in the afternoon hours, the clouds will thicken up. And that is the bearer of bad news,” Reith said.

He said there’s a very slight chance of rain during the early morning hours, with rain most likely to begin about 5 a.m. and continue through Saturday afternoon.

“We will see rain showers galore,” Reith said.

Saturday’s morning low will be 38, with the high reaching 48 on Saturday afternoon, he said.

Sunday’s morning low will be 29, with the high reaching only 43 by Sunday afternoon, bringing back near-normal temperatures to the area.