Weekly Outlook: July 3-9, 2017

HoustonKansasCity 138
We’ll have perfect weather for fireworks displays on the Fourth of July.

We’ve made it to July, and the stubborn pattern we had for much of the Spring and well into June is finally gone.

We’ll start right off with the forecast for Tuesday, since that’s the day people are most interested in. Planning a barbecue? Perfect weather for it. Heading into the pool or to the beach? Bring the sunscreen. Watching fireworks in the evening? No problems expected. Stuck working because your chosen profession doesn’t take holidays? Sucks to be you, but don’t expect anyone to feel bad for you.

As for the rest of the week, sunshine and warm temperatures will be here for the next few days, along with low humidity, as high pressure builds in across northern New England. There is a slight chance for a shower or thunderstorm this afternoon as a weak upper-level disturbance moves through, mainly along the South Coast. However, the bulk of the activity looks like it should remain well to our south and west. As the high slides offshore later this week, humidity will start to creep back into the region. With humidity comes the risk for afternoon showers and thunderstorms. That risk looks to be the greatest Friday and Saturday as another cold front starts to approach the region. While it’s still a bit early, and the timing of the front will play a critical role, we wouldn’t be surprised to see some severe storms develop on Saturday, if everything comes together. We’ll monitor this as the week progresses. High pressure will build in behind the front with drier conditions for next Sunday.

GFSNE_con_sbcape_141
A moist and unstable airmass may be in place ahead of a cold front next Saturday, which could help to produce strong to severe thunderstorms. Image provided by the College of Dupage.
GFSNE_sfc_dewp_141
A moist and unstable airmass may be in place ahead of a cold front next Saturday, which could help to produce strong to severe thunderstorms. Image provided by the College of Dupage.

While we’ve got a fairly simple forecast here for most of the week, things are starting to cook out in the Atlantic. A tropical disturbance located well east of the Lesser Antilles has the potential to develop into a tropical depression later this week.  There’s nothing to worry about now, but some of the models (not all), try to develop the system into a hurricane at some point, and possibly become a threat to the East Coast or Bermuda about 2 weeks from now. The odds of this happening are still pretty low, so we wouldn’t worry about it too much, but we’ll certainly keep our eyes on this system, as well as the rest of the tropics.

94L_gefs_latest
GFS Ensemble forecasts for the track of a tropical disturbance in the Central Atlantic. Image provided by Tropical Tidbits.

 

Monday: A mix of sun and clouds, just a slight chance for an afternoon shower or thunderstorm near the South Coast. High 81-88.

Monday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 58-65.

Tuesday: Sunshine and a few clouds. High 77-84.

Tuesday night: Clear skies. Perfect weather for fireworks in the evening. Low 55-62.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High 78-85.

Thursday: A sunny start, then clouds develop along with the chance for some afternoon showers and thunderstorms, becoming humid. High 77-84.

Friday: A mix of sun and clouds, humid, chance for some afternoon showers and thunderstorms. High 80-87.

Saturday: Partly sunny, more showers and thunderstorms are possible. Some of the storms could be strong to severe in the afternoon. High 83-90.

Sunday: Mostly sunny with a few afternoon clouds, drier. High 75-82.

Weekly Outlook: June 25 – July 2, 2017

Can you believe that we are just about at the halfway point of the year already? Yup, before you know it, we’ll be talking about football, then hockey, and snowstorms, and….well, we’ll stop there before we upset everyone.

gfs_6hr_snow_acc_wyoming_21
Yes, it’s late June, but some snow is possible in the higher elevations of Wyoming and Montana later this week. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Well, we are supposedly in the middle of summer now, but the weather pattern is definitely not a typical summertime pattern. An upper-level trough of low pressure will move into the Northeast for the start of the week. That means that we’ll start off each day with sunshine, but clouds will pop up and likely some showers or thunderstorms each afternoon. High pressure starts to build in on Wednesday with drier and milder conditions. By Thursday, a warm front will cross the region, with more showers and thunderstorms expected. Friday will finally be a typical summer day, with warm and humid conditions, but also the chance for more showers and thunderstorms. Next weekend, things get tricky again. A back door cold front will try to drop down from the north and will likely stall out somewhere in our vicinity. Exactly where it stalls will have a huge impact on the temperatures around here. South and west of the front, it will remain humid, with temperatures well into the 80s or even the 90s. North and east of the front, temperatures may stay in the 60s and lower 70s, especially near the coastline. Of course, since, it’s the start of the long holiday weekend, these details are fairly important. Hopefully, we’ll have more clarity as we head through the week.

Monday: A sunny start, then clouds develop along with afternoon showers and thunderstorms. High 74-81.

Monday night: Showers and thunderstorms taper off in the evening, then skies clear out overnight. Low 52-59.

Tuesday: Clouds return along with the chance for more showers and thunderstorms. High 72-79.

Tuesday night: Clearing skies. Low 53-60.

Wednesday: Partly to mostly sunny, just a slight chance for a shower or thunderstorm. High 72-79.

Thursday: A mix of sun and clouds, breezy, chance for showers and thunderstorms, mainly late in the day and at night. High 76-83.

Friday: Partly sunny and breezy, more showers and thunderstorms may develop. High 83-90.

Saturday: A mix of sun and clouds, chance for showers and thunderstorms. High 76-83, possibly warmer well inland and cooler right along the coast.

Sunday: More clouds than sun with more showers and thunderstorms around. High 80-87.

rbtop_lalo-animated
The Atlantic remains quiet, but in the Pacific, Tropical Storm (soon to be Hurricane) Dora is intensify just off the southern Mexican coastline. Loop provided by NOAA.

Weekly Outlook: June 19-25, 2017

We apologize for the brief post this week, but we wanted to make sure we still provided you with an update, especially since Monday could be an active day.

A cold front will approach the region on Monday, and with a warm and humid airmass in place, that front will likely trigger some strong to severe thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening. The strongest storms will likely occur west of our area, but some of them will likely survive into eastern New England. Some of the storms will produce heavy downpours, strong winds, hail, and possibly even a tornado or two.

fema01_swody2
Severe weather is possible across New England on Monday, especially northern and western areas. Image provided by the Storm Prediction Center.

High pressure will build in for the middle of the week with much drier conditions. The high slides offshore late in the week, allowing warm and humid conditions to return. Another front approaches next weekend, with more showers and thunderstorms possible.

Monday: Becoming cloudy and breezy with showers and thunderstorms developing, some of which could become strong to severe. High 80-87, cooler along the South Coast.

Monday night: Showers and thunderstorms taper off in the evening, then skies clear out late at night. Low 65-72.

Tuesday: Becoming mostly sunny. High 77-84.

Tuesday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 57-64.

Wednesday: Sunshine and some afternoon clouds. High 75-82.

Thursday: A sunny start, high clouds start to move in during the afternoon. High 76-83.

Friday: A mix of sun and clouds, warmer, and more humid, with a chance for a few showers and thunderstorms. High 81-88, cooler along the South Coast.

Saturday: More clouds than sun with more showers and thunderstorms possible.  High 78-85.

Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds, chance for a shower or thunderstorm. High 76-83.

rb-animated
Two tropical disturbances are being monitored right now, one near the Yucatan, and one east of the Lesser Antilles. Loop provided by NOAA.

The tropics have also awakened. There a disturbance east of the Lesser Antilles that could become a tropical depression on Monday. Tropical Storm Warnings have already been issued for some of the islands. A second disturbance near the Yucatan could become more of a threat to the Gulf of Mexico later this week.

Weekly Outlook: June 12-18, 2017

Well, many of you wanted it, now you’ve got it. The heat has arrived, and the humidity will be creeping up as well. It won’t last too long though, so you’d better enjoy it while it’s here. We’ll cool off for the middle and end of the week, then start to warm back up again next weekend.

gfs_t2max_boston_5
It’s going to be quite toasty today away from the South Coast. Image provided by WeatherBell.

With a Bermuda high sitting off the East Coast and a ridge of high pressure aloft over the Eastern US, we have all the ingredients needed for a couple of hot days across the region. Plenty of sunshine and southwest winds mean temperatures should soar into the 90s again today, mainly away from the South Coast. Tuesday also looks hot, but a cold front will approach the region during the afternoon. How quickly the clouds move in ahead of the front will determine how hot we actually get. As the front moves through in the afternoon, it will trigger showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could be quite strong, with gusty winds, heavy, and heavy downpours. Skies clear out behind the front Tuesday night, and high pressure builds in for Wednesday and Thursday, bringing cooler temperatures with it.

Things get a little trickier for Friday and the weekend. A warm front will move through on Friday, bringing warmer and more humid air back into the region for the weekend. This will also increase the chance for showers and thunderstorms, especially on Saturday. By Sunday, another cold front will be approaching the region, which means more showers and thunderstorms are possible. The amount of cloud cover that we get each day will play a big factor in determining how warm each day ends up.

Monday: Sunshine and a few clouds, humid. High 88-95, except 80-87 along the South Coast and Cape Cod.

Monday night: Clear to partly cloudy, muggy. Low 67-74.

Tuesday: A mix of sun and clouds, scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Some of the storms may contain hail. gusty winds, and heavy downpours. Humid with high 85-92.

Tuesday night: Becoming mostly clear. Low 58-65.

Wednesday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 69-76, cooler along the coast.

Thursday: Sunshine and some high clouds. High 68-75.

Friday: Increasing clouds, showers and thunderstorms possible late in the day and at night. High 65-72.

Saturday: Partly sunny and becoming humid, chance for showers and thunderstorms. High 70-77.

Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds, humid, more showers and thunderstorms possible. High 80-87, except 73-80 along the South Coast and Cape Cod.

sn10_acc.us_nw
Things could always be worse – several inches of snow are expected across some of the mountains of the West over the next few days. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.

Weekly Outlook: June 5-11, 2017

After a rather chilly and damp May, things haven’t changed too much to start June. In fact, the next couple of days will be downright suck-tastic (that’s a technical term). While we’ll see some improvement in this pattern as we head towards the end of the week, a flip to summer-like weather is probably still at least a week away. Even then, we’re not sure how long a summer-patter may hang around.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but for the first half of the week, an upper-level low pressure area will remain in place across the Northeast. That means showers and cool temperatures through at least Tuesday. A weak area of high pressure will try to build in at the surface on Wednesday, but with that upper-low hanging around, we’ll still see plenty of clouds, and possibly a few showers. In fact, that will probably be repeated each day through Saturday. None of the days will be a washout, as we won’t have any organized storm systems moving near the area. However, each day will feature plenty of clouds along with some sunny breaks, along with showers popping up. Temperatures will gradually warm up as we head through the week, but will remain below normal. As we get into the middle of June “normal” is generally lower to middle 70s, so we’re looking at highs in the 60s later this week.

gfs.500wh.conus.2017060500-loop
As has been the case for the past several weeks, an upper-level low pressure area will keep us cool and damp this week. Loop provided by Pivotal Weather.

 

Things *might* start to change on Sunday. By then, there are some indications that the upper-level low may start to move out and be replaced by a ridge of high pressure. That would allow for sunshine and warmer temperatures. Of course, the models haven’t been that trustworthy lately, and it was only a few days ago that they showed this transition taking place towards Thursday or Friday, not Sunday. So, we remain a bit skeptical that it will occur by Sunday.

gfs_t2m_a_f_boston_8
Temperatures will be 15-25 degrees below normal Tuesday afternoon. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Just think, it could have been a lot worse. If we had this pattern in January and February instead of May and early June, it would have been reminiscent of the winter of 2014-2015, when we got absolutely buried with record snow in a 6 week period.

Monday: Cloudy with occasional showers and drizzle. High 55-62.

Monday night: More showers, drizzle, and fog expected. Low 47-54.

Tuesday: Breezy and cool with periods of rain and showers expected. Temperatures hold steady for much of the day, possibly dropping a few degrees.

Tuesday night: Showers, drizzle, and fog persist. Low 44-51.

Wednesday: Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance for more showers.  High 54-61.

Thursday: Partly sunny, chance for a few showers. High 59-66.

Friday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine with additional showers possible. High 66-73.

Saturday: Partly sunny, a few more showers are possible. High 71-78.

Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds, slight chance for a shower. High 72-79.

Many models are showing the possibility that the start of next week features some real summer weather, with temperatures getting into the 90s and dewpoints near or above 70s. We’ll see if they stick to their guns as the week goes on.

 

Season’s Greetings! (Hurricane Season That Is)

We’re about to flip the calendar to June, which marks the start of meteorological summer. It also marks the start of Hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin (North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico).

Hurricane season in the Atlantic runs from June 1 through November 30, but it got off to an extraordinarily early start again in 2017 when Tropical Storm Arlene formed back in April. Alex became the second tropical storm on record during the month of April in the Atlantic when it strengthened on April 20. Arlene stayed out in the open Atlantic without affecting any land areas, before merging with a larger extratropical storm on April 23. The next storm that forms will be given the name Bret.

FINAL 0523 Hurricane Graphic_ names-700x400
Hurricane Names for the 2017 season in the Atlantic. Image provided by NOAA.

In a normal season, the Atlantic Basin sees 12 named storms, of which 6 become hurricanes and 3 become major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Scale). While there are plenty of hurricane forecasts out there, these were pioneered by Dr. William Gray. His research team at Colorado State University continues his work, and for this season is calling for 11 named storms, of which 4 could become hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes. They are scheduled to release an updated forecast on Thursday.

tracks-at-2016
2016 say plenty of storms form in the Atlantic, with several making landfall in the US. Image provided by the National Hurricane Center.

Of course, an active season doesn’t guarantee that a storm will make landfall in the United States though. In 2010, there were 19 named storms, 12 hurricanes, and 5 major hurricanes. Only 1 storm, Tropical Storm Bonnie, made landfall in the United States. On the flip side, 1992 was a quiet season, with just 7 named storms, 4 hurricanes, and 1 major hurricane, with the first named storm not forming until August 16. Of course, that first storm was Andrew, which slammed into South Florida on August 24 as a Category 5 hurricane, one of just 3 Category 5 storms to ever make landfall in the United States.

The peak of the season usually occurs from mid-August through late September, but an early start isn’t unusual. On average, the first named storm of the season occurs on July 9, with the first hurricane forming around August 10. In 2015, there were two tropical storms during May and June (Ana and Bill), while 2012 saw 4 named systems (Alberto, Beryl, Chris, and Debby) with 1 hurricane (Chris) forming before the end of June. Last year, 2 storms formed before the end of May (Hurricane Alex in January, Tropical Storm Bonnie in late May), then 2 more tropical storms in June (Colin and Danielle)

Here in New England, we should always pay attention when a storm is nearing the Bahamas, as those are the ones that have the potential to impact us. Using data back to 1851, a tropical storm makes landfall in Southern New England or Long Island once every 4 years, while a hurricane makes landfall once every 8 years. The last tropical storm to make landfall was Irene, which passed right over New York City in 2011, so we’re about due for another one. As for hurricanes, while we’ve been threatened several times in the past few years, the last one to make landfall was Hurricane Bob in 1991. That 26-year gap is the 2nd longest on record, second only to the 28 year gap between 1896 and 1924. In other words, we are very overdue.

p1969053694-3
Hurricane Gloria produced a lot of wind across eastern New England, with significant damage across Long Island and western New England, closer to the track. Image provided by NOAA,

The Atlantic remains fairly quiet right now, and we’re not expecting anything for form in the next few days. Even if something were to form soon and head this way, the waters off of New England are too cold to sustain a tropical system, so we’d see something more like a typical nor’easter. Only two tropical storms have ever made landfall in the Northeast before the end of June. The first was an unnamed minimal tropical storm that crossed Long Island and went into southern Connecticut on May 30, 1908. The other was Tropical Storm Agnes, which made landfall near New York City on June 22, 1972, then caused devastating flooding across parts of the Mid-Atlantic states. In terms of hurricanes, the earliest one to ever make landfall up this way was Hurricane Belle, which slammed into Long Island with 90 mph winds on August 9, 1976. We did have Hurricane Arthur pass just offshore of Nantucket on July 4 in 2014. While it did not make landfall, it made for a rather wet and cool holiday, especially across Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts. Statistically, the most likely time for a hurricane to hit New England is between the middle of August and late September. Of the 23 hurricanes that made landfall in New England or Long Island since 1851, 20 of them have done so between August 19 and September 27.

Some of the statistics in this post were supplied by Gary Gray and David Vallee. David is probably the local expert in Southern New England on tropical systems and their impacts on the region. He’s written several papers on them including a nice review of 20th Century storms.

Weekly Outlook: May 29-June 4, 2017

Memorial Day is the traditional start of summer, and it will certainly feel like summer today…..for most of the rest of the country. Around here? Not so much.

sfct.conus
Most of the nation will enjoy warm to hot temperatures on Memorial Day, except for the Upper Midwest and New England. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.

Low pressure will develop off the Mid-Atlantic coast early this morning and head northeastward, passing south and east of New England late in the day. The result will be a cool, damp day with plenty of showers, especially from late morning into late afternoon. Not exactly cookout weather, though you might be able to do some grilling in the evening if you don’t mind being outside in some drizzle or a few lingering showers. Tuesday and Wednesday will show some improvement, but they won’t exactly be beach days. Both days will feature some sunshine and milder temperatures, but with an upper-level low pressure area nearby, clouds and showers will likely fill in, especially each afternoon. As we flip the calendar to June on Thursday, high pressure builds in with sunshine and seasonably warm temperatures that last into the weekend. A weak low pressure area brings in more showers for late Friday into early Saturday. Another system may bring in more rain for Sunday, though there is still plenty of uncertainty with the timing of that system, which could have a significant impact on the temperatures. Right now, some models show Sunday being even cooler than our forecast, while others have it significantly warmer, which is a function of the amount of cloud cover and/or precipitation shown by each model. We’re going in the middle for now, but we’re leaning towards the cooler, wetter scenario for now.

Memorial Day: Cloudy with showers developing in the morning, continuing for much of the day. High 52-59.

Monday night: Showers taper off in evening, skies remain mostly cloudy overnight. Low 45-52.

Tuesday: Partly sunny with some showers possible in the afternoon. High 62-69, cooler right at the coast.

Tuesday night: Partly to mostly cloudy, slight chance for a shower or two. Low 49-56.

Wednesday: More clouds than sunshine with more showers possible. High 68-75, cooler along the coast.

Thursday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 70-77.

Friday: A sunny start, then clouds move in. Showers develop late in the day. High 67-74.

Saturday: Cloudy and breezy with showers likely, especially in the morning. High 68-75.

Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds, chance for more showers, especially in the afternoon. High 63-70.

Thursday also marks the start of Hurricane Season in the Atlantic. We’ll likely have a post about that on Thursday. Here’s an early preview – We are VERY overdue for a hurricane to make landfall in New England.

FINAL 0523 Hurricane Graphic_ names-700x400
Hurricane Names for the 2017 season in the Atlantic. Image provided by NOAA.

 

Weekly Outlook: May 22-29, 2017

Did you enjoy last week’s heat? Well, it’s not coming back for a little while. Most of this week won’t be that chilly (well, except for today), but it won’t be hot either. We’re also looking at plenty of clouds and occasional showers. Not that greatest of weeks, and at this point, Memorial Day Weekend is looking iffy as well.

gfs.500wh.conus.2017052200-loop
An upper-level low will takes its time moving from the Great Lakes to the Northeast this week. Loop provided by Pivotal Weather.

Low pressure will move into the Great Lakes and then Ontario today, with an area of rain ahead of it spreading into the region. A warm front ahead of this system will likely stay to our south today, which means it’ll be a cool, damp Monday. Yeah, we’re all gonna have a case of the Mondays. By Tuesday, an upper-level low pressure are will move into the Great Lakes, and then sit there for much of the week. Yes, this is similar to the pattern we were in a few weeks ago. With the upper low sitting there, we’ll have plenty of clouds each day with a chance for showers. By Thursday, another low-pressure system as the surface will move towards the region, giving us a better chance for more rain later Thursday into Friday. The good news is, with the upper low to our west, we’ll have southwest winds aloft, meaning that we’ll be on the warm side of the system. Temperatures won’t be in the 80s and 90s again, but will be in the 60s and 70s, which is right about where they should be in late May. The upper low should start to move out on Saturday. However, these systems always seem to move out slower that the models suggest, so Saturday will probably end up with plenty of clouds and maybe some more showers. Earlier model runs showed high pressure building in for Sunday and Memorial Day, but the latest runs are a lot more pessimistic. Given the pattern that is setting up for this week, we can’t argue with that too much, even though we know everyone would prefer nice weather for the traditional start of summer.

ndfd_t2max_climo_massachusetts_3
Highs should be in the middle 60s to lower 70s across the area in late May. Most of this week will see temps right around this level. Image provided by WeatherBell.

 

Monday: Cloudy and cool with periods of rain and showers likely. High 52-59.

Monday night: Showers taper off and end. Low 47-54.

Tuesday: Plenty of clouds with some sunny breaks, Some additional showers are possible. High 66-73.

Tuesday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 49-56.

Wednesday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine, chance for a few showers. High 63-70.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy with showers becoming likely. High 58-65.

Friday: Periods of rain and showers. High 57-64.

Saturday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine, some lingering showers are possible. High 65-72.

Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds, chance for more showers. High 65-72.

Memorial Day: More clouds than sunshine, additional showers are possible. High 68-75.

Summer Arrives (in the East)! Winter’s Back (in the Rockies)!

The current weather pattern across the country is one that is fairly typical of Spring. However, the results of that pattern are Winter in the Rockies and Summer in the East. In between, there is plenty of severe weather, which is fairly typical of Spring.

US500.20170517.12
A ridge in the East, a trough in the West. Not that uncommon of a pattern. Image provided by College of DuPage.

An upper-level low pressure area will move out of the Pacific Northwest and into the nation’s midsection over the next few days. While one storm system moves into the Upper Midwest today, a second one will develop east of the Rockies and move into the Plains states on Thursday. With cold air moving in behind these systems, and warm, moist air flowing northward from the Gulf of Mexico ahead of them, strong to severe thunderstorms are likely again for the next few days across the Plains states.

day2otlk_1730
Thursday could be a very active day for severe weather in the Central and Southern Plains. Image provided by the Storm Prediction Center.

Severe weather has plagued the Plains states and Great Lakes for the past few days, with over 500 reports of severe weather between Monday and Tuesday. Nearly 30 tornadoes were reported, along with hail as large as softballs, and hundreds of reports of wind damage from gusts as high as 85 mph.

 

Behind the low pressure area, a late-season snowstorm is expected across the Rocky Mountains. Heavy snow will continue across portions of Montana and Idaho today, spreading into Wyoming and Colorado for Thursday into Friday. Across the higher elevations, totals of 1-3 feet are expected, which will keep the ski season going for a while longer. Snow may also spread into the High Plains of eastern Colorado and western Nebraska, with some minor accumulations possible. In Denver, it looks a couple of slushy inches may fall, though at least 1 model is forecasting much heavier amounts. In a normal year, Denver averages 1.7″ of snow, and the city has seen measurable snow during the month of May in 11 out of the last 16 years, so snow in May is not uncommon, though a heavy snowstorm, if it materializes, would be. Denver has only received 10 or more inches of snow in the month of May 6 times in a 135 years of records, with a record total of 15.5″ set back in May of 1898.

gfs_6hr_snow_acc_cw_13
A late-season snowstorm may drop up to 3 feet of snow in the higher elevations of the Rockies. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Meanwhile, in the East, an early taste of summer is ongoing, thanks to a ridge of high pressure aloft, and a surface high pressure area off the East Coast. Temperatures soared into the 80s and lower 90s on Wednesday, setting several records, but the hottest day for many locations will be Thursday. High temperatures will climb into the lower to middle 90s in many locations, likely breaking records across much of the region. When you combine the heat with dewpoints well into the 60s, it will definitely feel like a mid-summer afternoon across the region. A cold front will move through the area of Friday, possibly triggering a few showers and thunderstorms, but also sending temperatures back to where they should be in the middle of May.

ndfd_record_hi_neng_2
A lot of record high temperatures may be broken across the Northeast on Thursday. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Weekly Outlook: May 15-21, 2017

Looks like we’ve got some weather Whiplash coming this week. We are finally going to Escape the damp and cool weather we’ve had for a while, though we still have One more day of it coming. After that, we’ll Turn The Page and head into some summer-like weather. After Tuesday’s Gone, temperatures will soar into the 80s for mid-week. After some snow in the mountains yesterday, winter lovers must realize that it’s Sad But True that we’ve finally reached The End Of The Line for snow this year. If you’re not a winter lover, then Dream No More, what you thought might have been The Day That Never Comes will finally arrive this week. Faster than you can say “Sabbra Cadabra“, you’ll be looking for summer clothes in your closet. Summer will finally arrive, and for most of you, Nothing Else Matters right now.

ndfd_t2max_climo_massachusetts_2
Normal high temperatures are in the middle to upper 60s around here in May. Only 1 or 2 days this week will be around normal. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Low pressure in the Gulf of Maine this morning will slowly move eastward today, with any lingering showers coming to an end. High pressure builds in for Tuesday with sunshine and warmer temperatures returning. As the high moves offshore by mid-week, southwest to west winds will pump even warmer air into the region with most places, especially away from the South Coast and Cape Cod, soaring into the 90s. By Thursday, we could some locations top 90 degrees. We may see a few pop up showers and thunderstorms on Thursday, but right now they don’t look widespread. A cold front will cross the region on Friday, though it will likely have little moisture associated with it. We’ll cool off a little on Saturday, but temperatures will still be near to above normal. Sunday is the big question mark at this point. Some of the models are showing a backdoor front moving in, which would mean another chilly, damp day, while others show that front retreating and moving northward as a warm front. Given the time of year and recent events, we are going to lean towards the chilly side for now, but the potential is there for next Sunday to be significantly warmer than what our forecast currently shows.

sfct.us_ne
The GFS is forecasting a hot day on Thursday. It’s not the only model showing this forecast. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.

Monday: Mostly cloudy and breezy with scattered showers ending. Some afternoon sunshine may develop. High 55-62.

Monday night: Becoming mostly clear. Low 45-52.

Tuesday: Sunshine and a few clouds. High 69-76

Tuesday night: Partly cloudy. Low 50-57.

Wednesday: Partly to mostly sunny, breezy, and warmer. High 78-85, except 70-77 along the South Coast, possibly cooler on Cape Cod.

Thursday: A mix of sunshine and clouds, breezy, warm, and humid, with afternoon showers and thunderstorms possible. High 85-92, except 77-84 along the South Coast, possibly cooler on Cape Cod.

Friday: Partly to mostly sunny and drier. High 75-82, cooler on Cape Cod.

Saturday: A mix of sun and clouds. High 64-71.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a chance for showers. High 54-61, possibly warmer the farther south and west you go.

20170213-metallica-inside-hero
The home of the Super Bowl Champions will be Hardwired to Self-Destruct on Friday. Image provided by GilletteStadium.com

Metallica Forecast: This Friday night, one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all-time returns to this area when they setup shop for a concert at the home of the 5-Time Super Bowl Champions. For those of you who are heading down to worship at the altar of the almighty Metallica, you can expect clear skies, with temperatures starting the evening in the upper 60s, dropping to the lower 60s by the time the final firework has exploded.