The storm system that produced prolific rainfall and relentless unstable weather conditions is finally shifting northeast this evening, and skies have cleared as the system loses it's grip on the area. The surface low pressure is now well offshore, and heights in the middle of the atmosphere are beginning to rise, as the big upper level trough responsible for the active weather pattern is shifting north and east, away from our area. Some isolated showers are still around, but these are dissipating rather rapidly and should not be a widespread threat to the area. In fact, skies are expected to be mostly clear within a few hours. Temperatures will fall quite a bit tonight, into the mid 60's in the city and lower 60's inland. It will feel like an extremely refreshing evening compared to the last few. Featured image: Sunset in New York City this evening at 7:45pm, August 16th, 2011.

ISS Makes It's Presence Known: The International Space Station will pass overhead the New York City Metro area later tonight and Wednesday night---both nights reaching brightness magnitudes lower than -2.0, resulting in a "very bright" viewing ability. The International Space Station often passes overhead but is seldom noticed--although it should be brighter tonight. Look to the west around 9:24pm tonight to see the ISS rise above the horizon. The ISS will look like a bright planet moving slowly through the sky---a truly amazing sight considering it's man-made technology. The ISS passes overhead again on Wednesday evening at 8:28pm. The transit and rise times depend on your zip code, so be sure to visit this website for exact time details.

A Look Ahead: The middle to end of the week looks to offer a return to more pleasant weather, with high temperatures averaging near normal on Wednesday and Thursday. The next chance of rain will rear it's head on Thursday afternoon and Friday, when a frontal boundary near the region could very well spark off showers and thunderstorms. The storms could be more widespread on Friday, offering a chance for more rainfall.

Article written August 16th, 2011 at 8:00pm. Looking for a forecast? See New York Metro Weather's Long Range Forecast for the upcoming week, or view our Technical Forecast Discussion for the more serious weather enthusiasts. Also, check out our new Forecast Overview tab. For up to the minute details on forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.