ELKINS — While the Mountain State Forest Festival got off to a semi-gloomy start, the rest of the week is predicted to see sunny, warmer weather up to Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

After Wednesday, the area can expect dry weather for the rest of the week until Sunday evening, said Simone Lewis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a good sign for Festival activities.

“You have the showers (Tuesday) and they’ll continue overnight (Tuesday), and as we get later into the day (Wednesday), you’ll start to see any sort of shower activity taper off,” Lewis told The Inter-Mountain on Tuesday. “So, hopefully, by (Wednesday) evening or late afternoon, you should be dry.”

It is expected to be dry, sunny and warm for the rest of the week until Sunday evening, Lewis said. She explained that temperatures for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are predicted to be in the upper 70s and that the area is looking at “some nice sunny days,” which will fair well for the Coronation of Maid Silvia LXXXVI on Friday and the Grand Feature Parade on Saturday.

There could be, however, a chance of rain on Friday in the afternoon, Lewis said, though she described the chances as “small.”

“Now there is a very small chance possibly of a shower on Friday afternoon, but it’s very small,” Lewis said. “It’s like a 20% or less chance. More likely than not, you’ll be dry.”

Lewis said there is a chance of showers predicted to roll in Sunday evening; however, it is expected to begin late in the evening and should not affect Sunday’s Muzzleloading Contest or the Official Closing Ceremony of the Forest Festival. The Weather Channel predicts Sunday’s rain will continue all day next Monday.

Though sunny, dry days mean good things for the Festival, the state still finds itself under high drought conditions.

Currently, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System, 59% of West Virginia is in an “extreme drought,” including Randolph, Upshur, Barbour, Tucker and Pocahontas counties. A total of 16.6% of the state is in an “exceptional drought.”

Lewis previously told The Inter-Mountain that the state would need “quite a bit of precipitation” to improve the drought conditions.