Temperatures could get well into the 70s on Monday. Image provided by WeatherBell.
For the most part, we’ve got a rather simple forecast for the next several days. An area of low pressure well south of New England will keep clouds in place across southeastern Massachusetts into Friday with some gusty northeast winds at times. Otherwise, high pressure will slide across the region and off to the east over the next several days, resulting in sunny days and clear night. Temperatures will warm back up to above normal levels over the weekend, with many places likely reaching or exceeding 70 as winds become more south to southwesterly. This pattern will likely continue into a good portion of next week as well.
Some models have no rain at all here through next weekend. Image provided by Weathermodels.com
Thursday night: Slow clearing across Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod, clear skies elsewhere, breezy along the coast and across Cape Cod. Low 34-41, a little milder near the coast and urban areas.
Friday: Plenty of sunshine, a few clouds across Cape Cod, winds gradually subside. High 56-63, coolest along the coast.
Friday night: Clear skies. Low 36-43.
Saturday: Lots of sunshine. High 63-70, coolest across Cape Cod.
Saturday night: Clear. Low 38-45.
Sunday: Sunshine and a few clouds. High 66-73, coolest across Cape Cod.
Sunday night: Clear skies. Low 45-52.
Monday: More sunshine. High 70-77, coolest across Cape Cod.
Changes are on the way as we head through the weekend. Meanwhile, the tropics remain active.
Drought conditions are beginning to develop across our area. Image provided by the National Drought Mitigation Center.
High pressure remains in control into Friday with dry and mild conditions. A cold front will start to move our way on Friday, with clouds streaming in ahead of it in the afternoon. The front will produce a few showers late Friday night and early Saturday, then skies clear out in the afternoon behind the front. We’ll remain fairly mild behind the front on Saturday, but as high pressure slowly moves in, we’ll turn a little cooler on Sunday despite more sunshine. Clouds start to filter in later Sunday ahead of a stronger cold front. That front will bring in some rain late Sunday night and Monday, but its bigger impact will be even cooler weather moving in behind it for the middle part of next week.
Cooler than normal temperatures are expected across the region next week. Image provided by Weathermodels.com.
The Atlantic remains active with two named storms, though neither is expected to impact land over the next week or so. Hurricane Kirk is now a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph. It is centered about 1130 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands, moving toward the northwest at 10 mph. Kirk may strengthen a bit more, likely reaching Category 4 strength, but it will turn more toward the north and then northeast, crossing the open waters of the North Atlantic. It should start to weaken over the weekend, and become extratropical early next week. It could impact parts of western Europe with strong winds and heavy rain toward the middle to latter part of next week. We also have Tropical Storm Leslie, which has maximum sustained winds near 45 mph. Leslie is centered about 540 miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, moving toward the west at 5 mph. Forecasts call for Leslie to steadily strengthen, likely becoming a hurricane in the next day or two. Leslie could become a rather potent storm by early next week, but it should be turning more toward the northwest, and will likely not impact any land areas.
Both Kirk and Leslie should remain over open water for the next several days. Image provided by the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
Thursday night: Partly cloudy, areas of patchy fog may develop. Low 47-54.
Friday: Some morning sun, then clouds increase and thicken up in the afternoon. High 67-74.
Friday night: Mostly cloudy with some showers developing, mostly after midnight. Low 52-59.
Saturday: Showers end in the morning, skies clear out in the afternoon. High 67-74.
Saturday night: Clear skies, cooler. Low 44-51.
Sunday: Lots of sunshine, clouds start to move in by late in the day. High 62-69.
Once the rain ends, we’ve got some rather nice weather coming up for the weekend. Meanwhile, the tropics are getting active again with Major Hurricane Helene heading for the Florida Panhandle, Tropical Storm Isaac in the North Atlantic, and potentially another system this weekend.
Some much-needed rainfall is expected across the region tonight. Image provided by WeatherBell.
A cold front will cross the region tonight, taking the rain with it by morning as it moves offshore. High pressure will then build in, and remain in control through Monday, keeping us dry and mild, but don’t expect bright sunshine the entire time. We’ll have some slow clearing behind the front on Friday, especially near the South Coast and the Cape. After that, some high-level moisture from Hurricane Helene and its remnants (more on that in a minute) will stream up here. This will result in filtered sunshine for Saturday and likely part of Sunday too. We’ll also have northeast winds around the high pressure area to our north bringing in some clouds at times from the Atlantic. Monday will probably feature the most sunshine, but there will still be some clouds around.
The tropics are getting active again with both Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Isaac. Image provided by the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
Hurricane Helene continues to strength as it moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico. As of 4pm EDT, Helene was centered about 145 miles west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, moving toward the north-northeast at 21 mph. Maximum sustained winds were near 120 mph, making Helene at Category 3 Hurricane. Helene’s future is fairly simple at this point. It will continue north-northeastward, with a little more strengthening likely, then it will make landfall in the Florida Big Bend area tonight. This is a sparsely populated region of Florida, which is the only “good” news we have with this storm. A storm surge of 15-20 feet is likely near and to the right of where the center makes landfall. Helene is a very large storm, with tropical storm force winds up to 350 miles from the center of the storm. With this in mind, strong winds are likely well inland after landfall, likely into southern or central Georgia, with widespread wind damage expected.
Hurricane Helene is marching toward the Florida Big Bend. Loop provided by the College of DuPage.
The biggest threat will be heavy rain well inland. Much of the Southeast has already received 3-6 inches of rain in the past day or two from a frontal system, and Helene will add another 5-10 inches or more to that. While this region has been in a drought and needs rainfall, too much rainfall doesn’t help as much and creates widespread flooding. An upper-level low pressure system over the Mississippi Valley will capture the remains of Helene this weekend, slowing it down across the Tennessee Valley before it finally dissipates, bringing even more rain to this region as well.
Helene will produce heavy rain over a very large area over the next few days. Image provided by the National Hurricane Center.
Helene isn’t the only show in town though. We also have Tropical Storm Isaac, centered about 820 miles east-northeast of Bermuda as of 11am EDT, moving toward the east at 12 mph. Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph. Isaac is expected to steadily strengthen, and could become a hurricane this weekend. It should continue eastward or east-northeastward over the open waters of the North Atlantic, becoming extratropical early next week, at which point it could be heading towards Europe.
Tropical Storm Isaac is gradually organizing in the North Atlantic. Loop provided by NOAA.
But wait, there’s more! Another area of low pressure in the central Atlantic, several hundred miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands continues to get better organized this afternoon, and conditions are favorable for it to become a tropical depression later today or Friday. The system could become a tropical storm over the weekend, but should eventually turn more toward the north and head out into the open Atlantic without impacting any land areas for the next week or so.
The next system should head out to sea without impacting land. Loop provided by Tomer Burg.
Thursday night: Cloudy with rain gradually ending, some clearing late at night, mainly from the Merrimack Valley northward, some patchy fog may also develop. Low 54-61.
Friday: A few lingering showers early across Cape Cod and the South Coast, otherwise, skies become mostly sunny in the morning, then high clouds stream back in during the afternoon. High 69-76.
Friday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 51-58.
Saturday: Sunshine filtered through high clouds. High 66-73.
Saturday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 50-57.
Astronomical summer ends this weekend and so does our extended stretch of dry and warm weather.
Much cooler weather is expected for the weekend. Image provided by Weathermodels.com
In the big picture, the forecast for the next few days is fairly simple, but the details aren’t so simple. An area of low pressure will meander around south of New England for the next few days while high pressure remains in place to the north. In between the two, we’ll have increasing northeasterly winds, bringing cooler air into the region. The big question is in regards to the shield of rain around the low pressure system, and how far inland it penetrates. The computer models all have varying ideas on this, so they don’t provide a lot of help in this case, so we’re relying on past experience and gut feeling for the most part. The best chance for rain will obviously be closer to the system itself, which means Cape Cod, the Islands, and likely the South Coast and parts of southeastern Massachusetts. Farther north and west, chances decrease fairly rapidly, as dry air from the high pressure system will keep most of the moisture from reaching the ground. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance that it remains dry, especially once you get north and west of Interstate 495, and possibly Interstate 95. For the areas where we do expect rain, it will rain off and on at times from now into part of Saturday. None of the days will be a washout, and there will be extended periods of dry weather, especially as you head farther inland, but there will be some episodes of steadier and potentially heavier rain, especially on Cape Cod.
The models don’t agree on how far inland the rain will penetrate. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
The system should start to pull away later Saturday, with gradual clearing on Sunday, which is the first day of Autumn. The Autumnal Equinox occurs at 8:43am Sunday, officially ending summer. While we should see some sunshine developing, temperatures will stay on the cool side, thanks to the northeast wind, with most of the region not getting out of the 60s. High pressure builds back in for Monday, with more dry and cool conditions.
Astronomical Fall begins with the Autumnal Equinox at 8:43am Sunday. Image provided by EarthSky.org
Thursday night: Mostly cloudy with showers likely, favoring areas south of Boston, breezy. Low 57-64.
Friday: Cloudy and breezy with occasional showers and some periods of steadier rain, especially south of Boston. High 63-70.
Friday night: Plenty of clouds with more showers, again, favoring areas south of Boston, still breezy. Low 54-61.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy, a few more showers around, mostly in the morning, and again, mostly south of Boston, breezy near the coast. High 61-68.
Saturday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 50-57, a little milder across Cape Cod.
Sunday: Skies gradually become partly to mostly sunny, with the most sunshine north and west of Boston, breezy again. High 61-68.
Sunday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 46-53, a little milder across Cape Cod.
If you’re on vacation, you’ve got a nearly perfect weekend coming up.
Temperatures will remain above normal into early next week. Image provided by Weathermodels.com
For the most part, we’ve got dry weather through the early to middle of next week thanks to high pressure, but it’s a little more complicated than that. We’ll see a little fog developing tonight, but once it burns off, we’ll enjoy a warm day. A weak boundary dropping southward could trigger a stray shower or thunderstorm, favoring areas from northeastern Massachusetts into southern New Hampshire, but we’re not expecting any widespread showers. Fog may redevelop Friday night, then high pressure builds back in for the weekend with slightly cooler conditions as winds shift into the north. By Monday, the high will move offshore, winds will become southwesterly once again, and we’ll start to warm back up.
It’s been quite dry around here for a while now. That won’t change anytime soon. Image provided by the Northeast Regional Climate Center.
Thursday night: Partly cloudy, areas of fog develop. Low 53-60.
Friday: Mostly sunny, slight chance for a late-day shower or thunderstorm, mainly from northeastern Massachusetts into southern New Hampshire. High 79-86, little cooler near the South Coast and Cape Cod.
Friday night: Clear to partly cloudy, patchy fog may redevelop. Low 55-62.
Saturday: Sunshine and a few clouds. High 76-83, coolest along the coast.
Saturday night: Clear to partly cloudy, a little patchy fog possible again. Low 54-61.
Sunday: Plenty of sunshine. High 74-81, coolest along the coast.
Sunday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 51-58.
Monday: More sunshine. High 78-85, little cooler near the South Coast and Cape Cod.
Most of the upcoming weekend will feature some rather nice weather for early September.
Temperatures will be a little below normal over the next few days. Image provided by Weathermodels.com
High pressure will move off to the east over the next few days, with dry weather continuing into a good chunk of Saturday. Plenty of sunshine is expected on Thursday with warm temperatures, but we’ll see some clouds start to move in on Friday. The clouds will be more numerous on Saturday as a frontal system moves in from the west and low pressure passes well offshore. Saturday looks to remain dry, with showers likely holding off until evening. Showers continue Saturday night, ending early Sunday as the cold front moves through, with clearing developing in the afternoon. High pressure returns on Monday with sunshine and cooler temperatures.
The rain should be offshore by the time most of you wake up Sunday morning. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
Wednesday night: Clear skies. Low 50-57.
Thursday: Plenty of sunshine. High 72-79.
Thursday night: Clear during the evening, some clouds start to move in overnight. Low 52-59.
Friday: A mix of sun and clouds. High 71-78.
Friday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 54-61.
Saturday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine, showers possible late in the day. High 70-77.
Saturday night: Mostly cloudy with showers likely. Low 53-60.
Sunday: Any lingering showers end early followed by gradual clearing. High 69-76.
The unofficial end of summer has arrived – Labor Day Weekend, but we’ve still got summer weather for most of it.
Sunday could feature temperatures well into the 80s in many spots. Image provided by WeatherBell.
We start off with high pressure in control, giving us another nice day on Friday with sunshine and mild temperatures, but clouds will start to move in at night ahead of a warm front. That front may trigger a shower or two early Saturday, otherwise, we’ll stay dry. Warm and humid air moves back in for Saturday, but so do clouds as a cold front begins to approach from the west. It looks like most of the shower activity should hold off until nighttime, so daytime activities on Saturday should be good. Showers taper off Sunday morning as the front moves through, then a secondary front moves through late in the day with another shower or two possible. Once that front crosses the region, cooler and drier air settles in for Labor Day.
A few models show the potential for some heavy downpours Saturday night. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
Thursday night: Clear skies. Low 48-55.
Friday: Plenty of sunshine. High 69-76.
Friday night: Clear during the evening, clouds start to move in overnight with a stray shower possible. Low 55-62.
Saturday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine, humid, showers may develop toward evening. High 74-81.
Saturday night: Cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 63-70.
Sunday: Showers end in the morning, becoming partly sunny in the afternoon, slight chance for another late-day shower. High 75-82.
High temperatures at this time of year are normally within a degree or two of 80 for most of the region. Image provided by Weathermodels.com
The upper-level low that brought us cool temperatures and some showers over the past few days is moving out and high pressure is building in. That will mean sunshine and warmer weather as it slides eastward over the next few days. A seabreeze will keep coastal areas cool, but as a whole, temperatures will be near to above normal through the weekend, with many inland locations topping 80 over the next few days. Humidity levels will also start to creep up, enough that you’ll probably notice it by Sunday. Clouds will start to move back in on Sunday as another weak system approaches the region. That system may produce some showers and thunderstorms late Sunday and Sunday night, but they’ll be more likely on Monday.
Showers and thunderstorms are likely on Monday, but coverage, duration, and intensity are still to be determined. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
Thursday night: Clear and cool. Low 53-60.
Friday: Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 75-82.
Friday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 56-63.
Saturday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 77-84.
Saturday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 57-64.
Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds, more humid, slight chance for a late-day shower. High 79-86.
Sunday night: Partly cloudy, chance for a few showers. Low 59-66.
Monday: Intervals of clouds and sun with scattered showers and thunderstorms. High 76-83.
Most of the weekend should feature some nice weather, thanks to Hurricane Ernesto.
Monday will feature some rather cool temperatures thanks to some rain. Image provided by Weathermodels.com
An upper-level low over Atlantic Canada will lift back out tonight, with any lingering showers or thunderstorms ending this evening. High pressure then builds in for Friday and Saturday with drier weather, though smoke drifting down from Canadian wildfires will dim the sun at times. Another upper-level low will settle into the Great Lakes, with a surface low pressure and its associated cold front slowly making their way eastward over the next few days. Hurricane Ernesto will be heading north and then northeastward well east of the region this weekend, but it will act to slow down the front, keeping us on the dry side. Some clouds will move in ahead of it, but it looks like the shower and thunderstorm activity associated with the front will hold off until late Sunday. As the front moves in, showers and thunderstorms will become more widespread Sunday night and Monday before the front moves offshore later Monday.
A slowing moving cold front will produce heavy rain at the end of the weekend, but the heaviest will stay to our west. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
As for Hurricane Ernesto, it has Bermuda in its crosshairs at the moment. As of 5pm, Ernesto was centered about 495 miles south-southwest of Bermuda, moving toward the north at 13 mph. Maximum sustained winds were near 85 mph. The forecast calls for Ernesto to strengthen a little more tonight and Friday while heading northward, passing very close to Bermuda Friday night and early Saturday as it slows down. Beyond that, it will start to turn more toward the northeast, gradually weakening as it loses its tropical characteristics this weekend while passing south of Atlantic Canada. It could bring some heavy rain and gusty winds to parts of Newfoundland, but the bigger impact it will have, except for what it does to Bermuda, will be the large swells it generates. Rough seas are likely this weekend, with large waves smashing into the East Coast from the Carolinas northward to Atlantic Canada, resulting in hazardous conditions at the beaches and a high risk for rip currents, as well as the threat for some coastal flooding near the time of high tide, as we are approaching the astronomical high tides for the month.
Forecast track for Hurricane Ernesto. Image provided by the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
Thursday night: Showers and thunderstorms end this evening, partly to mostly cloudy overnight with areas of fog developing. Low 59-66.
Friday: A mix of sun and clouds, smoke from Canadian wildfires will dim the sun at times. High 77-84, coolest along the coast.
Friday night: Partly to mostly cloudy, patchy fog possible again. Low 60-67.
Saturday: Hazy sunshine and some afternoon clouds. High 77-84.
Saturday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 62-69.
Sunday: More clouds than sun, some showers and thunderstorms may develop in the afternoon. High 75-82.
Sunday night: Cloudy with showers and thunderstorms becoming more likely. Low 62-69.
Monday: Plenty of clouds with more showers and thunderstorms. High 73-80.
Despite what the app on your phone says, most of the weekend will actually be rather pleasant.
What’s left of Debby will pass well north and west of us Friday night. Images provided by the National Hurricane Center.
What’s left of Debby will head northward tonight, sending a warm front across the region. Some showers may accompany it, but you’ll notice humidity levels increasing once again. Temperatures may actually rise a few degrees overnight as winds shift into the southeast and south. Ex-Debby will pass well north and west of the region Friday and Friday night, keeping us in the warm and humid side ahead of the storm. We’ll have some occasional showers during the day on Friday, but it won’t be a washout. Some steadier and potentially heavier showers are likely Friday night into early Saturday as Ex-Debby crosses northern New England and drags a cold front across our area. The showers end Saturday morning, then we’ll clear out in the afternoon, with gusty west to northwest winds ushering drier air in, though it will remain quite warm. High pressure then builds in for Sunday and Monday with sunshine, warm temperatures, and comfortable humidity levels.
There may be some heavier downpours, but for the most part, the models do not bring heavy rain into the region for Friday. Images provided by Pivotal Weather.
Thursday night: Cloudy with a few showers likely. Low 60-67 during the evening, temperatures may rise a bit after midnight.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, some occasional showers at times, becoming breezy in the afternoon. High 77-84.
Friday night: Mostly cloudy, breezy, showers becoming more widespread with some heavier downpours and a few rumbles of thunder. Low 69-76.
Saturday: Breezy with showers and thunderstorms ending in the morning (early afternoon across Cape Cod), becoming partly to mostly sunny. High 81-88, a little cooler across Cape Cod.
Saturday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 58-65.
Sunday: Sunshine and a few clouds, not as humid. High 76-83.
Storm HQ 