Weekly Outlook: December 16-22, 2019

We’ve got another week coming up with just about everything Mother Nature has to offer. Well, not quite everything, since we won’t have a warm day this week. To make up for it, we’ll have at least one day that is extremely cold. How’s that for a trade off?

The week starts off with high pressure in control. That means we’ll have some sunshine, less wind, and chilly temperatures today. The sunshine will not last long though, as clouds quickly move in ahead of our next system. That storm will move from the Tennessee Valley into the Mid-Atlantic states, passing south of New England on Tuesday. That’s about the only part of the storm that isn’t complicated.

Snow will develop across much of the region before daybreak on Tuesday. Yes, that means your morning commute on Tuesday will be even worse than normal. The snow should quickly change to rain along the South Coast. Away from the coast is where the problems start. Warmer air will move in aloft, with a change to sleet, freezing rain, and eventually plain rain expected to work its way northward on Tuesday. How quickly it moves northward, and how far north that changeover gets are still up in the air. Obviously, this has a major impact on how much snow accumulation we can expect. The other problem is, how long do some areas stay sleet or freezing rain, as this will have a significant impact on road conditions.

The High-Resolution NAM model shows the progression of the the precipitation and changeover line with the next storm system. Loop provided by WeatherBell.

So, how much snow can we expect before the changeover? Obviously, this is still a low-confidence forecast, despite the fact that it’s only a little more than a day away. Here’s what we’re thinking for now:

South Coast/Cape Cod: Little to no accumulation
Southeastern Massachusetts/Rhode Island (South and East of I-95): A coating to 2 inches.
Northern Rhode Island/MetroWest/North Shore/Merrimack Valley/NH Seacoast: 1-3″
Southern NH (Nashua-Manchester): 2-4″
Central NH (Concord-Lebanon): 4-7″

We’ll try to do an updated blog post late Monday, once we get a little more clarity on some of the details.

The GFS model is probably the closest to our thinking for snowfall amounts right now. Image provided by Weathermodels.com

So, everything winds down Tuesday evening, and then things improve on Wednesday, right? Not so much. A strong cold front will move across the region during the afternoon. This front may produce some snow showers or possibly snow squalls as it moves through during the afternoon and evening. Behind the front, some much colder air settles in for Wednesday night and Thursday. Now, it won’t be as cold as it was in the Dakotas and Minnesota, where it stayed below zero all day Saturday and Sunday (Can someone please explain why people choose to live in North Dakota?), but many parts of our area could stay below 20 all day on Thursday. When you fact in the wind, it will feel like it’s below zero, especially during the morning.

Heading out before daybreak Thursday? Bundle up, because wind chills will likely be below zero across the region, Image provided by WeatherBell.

High pressure builds in for Friday with dry weather, but it shouldn’t be as cold as Thursday. This brings us to the weekend. This is where things get questionable again. You may have heard some chatter online about a big snowstorm this weekend. Well, it’s a possibility, but then again, it’s also possible that the Patriots defense won’t give up a single point for the rest of the season. Most of the models have been signalling that there will be a potent storm system developing off the East Coast this weekend. Every now and then, one of the runs puts that storm right off of Cape Cod and shows the potential for a blizzard, sending all of the Facebook Forecasters into a frenzy. Of course, these same models have also shown the same storm moving off of Florida and then eastward across the Bahamas instead. Will there be a strong storm? Probably. Will it impact us? Probably not. However, one thing that may happen, is a weak system moving eastward bringing in a period of light snow sometime either late Saturday or Sunday. Given where the storm forms, it’s not really an Alberta Clipper, calling it a Dakota Dasher would probably be more accurate.

Nearly every run of the GFS over the past 5 days has had a strong storm near the East Coast this weekend. However, the placement and strength of the storm has varied on every run. Loop provided by Pivotal Weather.

If you’re really looking ahead, right now Christmas Eve and Christmas Day look dry and seasonably chilly.

Monday: Some sunshine early, then clouds thicken up. High 30-37.

Monday night: Cloudy with snow developing after midnight. Low 23-30.

Tuesday: Snow, changing to sleet, freezing rain, and plain rain from south to north. Areas north of the Mass Pike may never go to plain rain. High 27-34 north and west of Interstate 95, 34-41 south and east of Interstate 95.

Tuesday night: Precipitation ends in the evening, then skies clear out late at night. Low 21-28.

Wednesday: Morning sunshine, clouds return in the afternoon with some snow showers or squalls possible late in the day, becoming windy at night. High 30-37.

Thursday: Sunshine and a few clouds, breezy, and cold. High 17-24.

Friday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 22-29.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, chance for some light snow or snow showers late in the day and at night. High 29-36.

Sunday: Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of snow showers, especially in the morning. High 34-41.

Weekly Outlook: December 9-15, 2019

Given a choice, would you prefer cold weather or warm weather? What about a choice between rain, snow, or dry weather? Well, you’re going to get ALL of these this week!

Temperatures could reach 60 across parts of the area on Tuesday. Image provided by WeatherBell.

We start the week with low pressure moving into the Great Lakes and then eventually up the St. Lawrence Valley. With low pressure passing to our north and west, we’ll be on the warm side, with rain expected, mainly in two waves. The first one will come in today, with rain developing this morning, and continuing into tonight, when it cold be locally heavy. The warm air should move in south of Boston fairly quickly, but it may take until tonight to get into the Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire.

Warm air comes in today, and is quickly pushed out by cold air late Tuesday into Wednesday. Loop provided by Weathermodels.com

We’ll have a bit of a lull tomorrow morning, but a cold front will approach later in the day, with rain coming back ahead of that front. We’ll still be on the mild side, that is until the front comes through. Temperatures will quickly drop behind the front late Tuesday and Tuesday night but the precipitation may linger, so we will likely see rain changing to snow Tuesday night.

The NAM model shows the progression of the storm with 2 waves of rain followed by some snow. Loop provided by Tropical Tidbits.

On Wednesday, a little disturbance will move across the region, bringing us some additional light snow, mainly in the morning. There’s still a bit of uncertainty with this, but plan on the morning commute being impacted. We’re probably only looking at a few inches, but all it really takes to screw up the morning commute is a few flakes at all. High pressure builds in late in the day and into Thursday with drier and much colder weather.

A few inches of snow could really mess up the Wednesday morning rush hour. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.

By Friday, temperatures start to moderate again as the high slides offshore. It’ll still be chilly (it is December after all), but not quite as cold as Thursday. The weekend looks even milder once again, but that’s because we’ll have another storm system passing to our north and west, so we’re looking at another round of rain, possibly heavy once again.

Saturday could end up quite mild once again, but wet as well. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Monday: Cloudy and becoming breezy with periods of rain and showers. High 49-56.

Monday night: Cloudy and breezy with rain likely, possibly heavy at times, tapering off late at night. Temperatures hold steady or possibly rise a few degrees.

Tuesday: Cloudy and breezy with showers redeveloping late in the day. High 53-60, but temperatures start to quickly drop from northwest to southeast during the afternoon.

Tuesday night: Cloudy with rain changing to snow during the evening. Low 26-33.

Wednesday: Cloudy with light snow ending around midday. Skies clear out at night. Temperatures hold steady or drop a few degrees during the day.

Thursday: Plenty of sunshine, but cold. High 24-31.

Friday: Becoming mostly cloudy. High 32-39.

Saturday: Cloudy, breezy, and milder with rain likely. High 46-53.

Sunday: Partly to mostly cloudy and breezy, chance for a few showers. High 42-49.

Weekly Outlook: December 2-8, 2019

Winter’s back, and it’s not going anywhere for a while. We’ve got more snow on the way in the next 24 hours, so we’ll get right to it.

Some moderate to heavy snowfall totals were observed on Sunday, especially north and west of Boston. More will be coming today into Tuesday. Image provided by the National Weather Service in Norton, MA.

We went into great detail yesterday, so we won’t spend too much time on today. Basically, the daylight will be fairly quiet as the low move towards the Gulf of Maine. We’ll have some occasional showers and/or drizzle across eastern Massachusetts, with freezing drizzle or a few flurries farther inland and up into southern New Hampshire. Late in the day, temperatures will start to drop, so things could get icy across eastern Massachusetts as well.

The High-Resolution NAM model depicts the progress of our storm system today into Tuesday. Loop provided by Tropical Tidbits.

Tonight is when things get interesting again. As the low pressure area moves into the Gulf of Maine it will intensify and become a pretty potent system. With gusty north to northwest winds keeping most of the area quite chilly, we’ll snow moving in from the ocean, on the backside of the storm. It is still uncertain how far inland that snow will get and how much will fall. We’re fairly confident that there’s going to be a band of heavy snow that sets up, but we’re still thinking that the heaviest stays just offshore. Still, with light to occasionally moderate snow going through Tuesday afternoon, we’ll still see some decent amounts, especially close to the coast. How much more? We think that much of the region could see 3-6″ between Monday night and Tuesday afternoon, with lesser amounts into southern New Hampshire. From the North Shore up into the New Hampshire Seacoast , another 4-7″ may fall.

The High Resolution NAM model is closest to our thinking for snowfall tonight into Tuesday. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Everything winds down Tuesday night, then high pressure builds in for Wednesday and Thursday with dry and chilly conditions. An Arctic front will move across the region late Friday, with a few snow showers or squalls ahead of it. After that, high pressure returns next weekend with even colder weather on Saturday. By Sunday, the high will slide offshore and temperatures will start to moderate, but will likely still be below normal for early December.

Temperatures may stay below freezing all day on Saturday. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Monday: Cloudy and breezy with showers and drizzle across eastern Massachusetts, flurries and freezing drizzle elsewhere. High 29-36 north and west of I-95, 37-44 south and east of I-95, though temperatures in this area will start to drop in the afternoon.

Monday night: Cloudy and breezy with precipitation becoming steady light to occasionally moderate snow. Low 24-31.

Tuesday: Cloudy and breezy at times with snow ending by early afternoon, some sunshine may develop in the afternoon the farther west you go. Additional accumulation 1-3″ in southern NH, 3-6″ most elsewhere, except 4-7″ from the North Shore to the NH Seacoast. High 30-37.

Tuesday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 18-25.

Wednesday: More clouds than sunshine. High 34-41.

Thursday: A mix of sun and clouds. High 32-39.

Friday: Partly to mostly cloudy with some late-day snow showers or squalls possible. High 34-41.

Saturday: Sunshine and a few clouds, breezy. High 26-33.

Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds. High 36-43.

Weekly Outlook: November 25 – December 1, 2019

Thanksgiving is upon us, and at least it shouldn’t be as cold as last year. We’ve got a few things to worry about before worrying about leftovers though.

Similar to last week, we’re starting off this week with a bit of an icing problem. Many roads remained wet after yesterday’s rain, and temperatures dropped below freezing this morning, so again, if you’re heading out this morning, be careful as untreated surfaces could be slippery. We will see sunshine though, as high pressure builds into the region. That’ll keep it on cool side today, but as the high slides off to the east, milder weather will settle in for Tuesday.

Tuesday could be a mild day with some sunshine across the region. Image provided by Weathermodels.com

Moving along, Wednesday is a big travel day for many people, and also the last work day of the week for plenty of people as well. Well, it’ll be mild, but also damp. Low pressure will pass north and west of the region, so we’ll be on the warm side of it for a while, but it will drag a cold front through late in the day. That’ll bring an end to the rain, but also usher colder air in for Thanksgiving. It won’t be as cold as last year, but it will still be cool and breezy, so bundle up if you’re heading outside, especially if you’re heading to one of the traditional Thanksgiving high school football games.

Wind chills will be in the upper teens and 20s Thanksgiving night and Friday morning, so bundle up if you’re heading outside. Image provided by WeatherBell

Sunny and cool conditions are expected on Friday as high pressure builds in, so dress warmly if you’re heading out for some Black Friday sales. The dry and cool weather continues into Saturday. Sunday, however, is still a big question mark. Low pressure will move into the Midwest for the weekend, but could impact our area on Sunday. The models don’t agree on the evolution of the system, and as a result, have a wide variety of ideas. At this point, almost anything could happen. We could have snow, sleet, freezing rain, rain, any combination of all of these, or even none of them if the system ends up moving slower than expected. For now, we’ll just say that Sunday looks unsettled, and we should have a better idea of what to expect later in the week.

The European model, Canadian model, and American model have very different ideas about what may happen around here next Sunday. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.

Monday: Sunshine and a few clouds, watch out for black ice in the morning. High 45-52.

Monday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 29-36.

Tuesday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 49-56.

Tuesday night: Clear skies. Low 31-38.

Wednesday: Becoming mostly cloudy with showers likely during the afternoon and evening. High 47-54.

Thanksgiving: A mix of sun and clouds, a lingering shower or two are possible across parts of Cape Cod, breezy. High 41-48.

Friday: Mostly sunny. High 34-41.

Saturday: Sunshine gradually fades behind increasing clouds. High 34-41.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of…….something. High 38-45.

Weekly Outlook: November 18-24, 2019

Ice in your drink? That’s a good thing. Ice on an injury? It helps, so it’s good too. Ice on the roadways? Not good at all. Unfortunately, some of you may have to deal with that this morning.

Winter Weather Advisories are in effect this morning for much of the Northeast. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.

The low pressure system that brought heavy rain, strong winds, and coastal flooding to the Carolinas over the weekend will pass south and east of New England today, bring some of those same issues here, but also introducing other problems. It will bring in some rainfall to our area today, with some strong winds, especially across Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts. Some coastal flooding is possible across eastern Massachusetts around high tide as well. However, the biggest problem will already be ongoing (or maybe even over) by the time most of you read this.

Some light precipitation will move into the region this morning ahead of the system. Temperatures will also be below freezing, mainly north and west of Interstate 95. What happens when you have subfreezing temperatures at the surface, warmer air aloft, and some precipitation falling? If you guessed freezing rain and/or freezing drizzle, then you are correct! That’s bad news if you’ve got to be out and about on the roads this morning. Most cities and towns should have pre-treated the roads, but some of the side roads and also bridges and overpasses could be a little slick this morning, so use caution and give yourself a little extra time. Temperatures should warm above freezing most places this morning before the steadier and heavier rain arrives, so there shouldn’t be too many problems.

We’re not expecting much freezing drizzle/rain this morning, but it doesn’t take much to make roads icy. Image provided by WeatherBell.

After a miserable day today (temperatures in the 30s, gusty winds, and rain – you have a better word to describe it?), the system pulls away tonight, but one last batch of precipitation moves through overnight and early Tuesday as an upper-level low pressure area moves across the Northeast. This will be mostly rain, but as some colder air starts to move in behind the storm, some wet snowflakes could mix in, especially across the higher terrain from central Massachusetts into southern New Hampshire.

The WRF model shows temperatures below freezing across the interior through mid-morning and highs only in the 30s today. Loop provided by Weathermodels.com

Once the system pulls away, we dry out on Tuesday, but the clouds remain in place into Wednesday as another system passes offshore. This one will be too far offshore to produce anything more than clouds, but it will help to bring colder air down from the north. High pressure builds in for Wednesday night and Thursday with clearing and chilly weather.

Clouds come back late Thursday as low pressure heads toward southeastern Canada. That low passes by to the north and west on Friday, dragging a cold front across the region. It will get mild ahead of the front, but some more rain is expected as well. Once the front moves through, high pressure builds back in for Saturday with another shot of cold weather. Sunday is still up in the air a bit. We’ve got one model showing a weak system passing by to the north, with a few snow showers, while another model has a system moving in from the southwest, with some rain, and a third model has high pressure building in.

Temperatures on Friday might actually be a little above normal. Image provided by WeatherBell.

If you’re looking ahead to Thanksgiving already, well, it’s too early to try and pin down any specifics, but most of the models have a fairly potent storm system moving out of the Midwest and towards the Northeast sometime in the Wednesday/Thursday timeframe. For now at least, the models are showing mostly rain, but again, it’s a long ways away. If you’re traveling for the holiday, just keep an eye on the forecast. We’ll have more details in next week’s outlook obviously.

A storm system could impact Thanksgiving travel or the eastern half of the nation. We’ll keep an eye on this over the next week plus. Loop provided by Tropical Tidbits.

Monday: Cloudy and breezy (windy across Cape Cod) with some freezing drizzle north and west of I=95 in the morning, changing to plain rain by midday. Occasional showers becoming a steady rain during the afternoon south and east of I-95. High 33-40 north and west of Boston, 40-47 south of Boston.

Monday night: Cloudy with some showers likely. Low 32-39.

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with showers ending in the morning, possibly mixed with some wet snow over the higher terrain. High 40-47.

Tuesday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 27-34.

Wednesday: Plenty of clouds. High 38-45.

Thursday: That big bright thing in the sky returns, though some high clouds move in late in the day. High 41-48.

Friday: Mostly cloudy and milder with some showers likely. High 49-56.

Saturday: Becoming partly to mostly sunny and colder. High 38-45.

Sunday: Clouds return again with a chance for some showers. High 40-47.

Weekly Outlook: November 11-17, 2019

Thank you to all that have served or continue to serve our nation. Image provided by the United States Army

Are you ready? Ready for Winter? It’s coming, and quickly. Better enjoy today, because after that, it’s going to get cold.

We start the week off with high pressure in control, but we’ll have plenty of clouds as a cold front begins to approach the region. That front will move through on Tuesday, with some rain likely ahead of it. Low pressure will develop along this front and move right across the region on Tuesday. Ahead of the low and the front, it will be somewhat mild, but once the front moves through in the afternoon, that’s when things start to happen.

NAM model forecast showing rain coming in ahead of the cold front, changing to snow before ending behind it. Loop provided by Tropical Tidbits.

Colder air comes surging in behind the front, and temperatures will quickly drop Tuesday afternoon. Rain will likely change over to sleet and snow from northwest to southeast. Now we’re not talking about a lot of snow, probably an inch or less in most spots, and mainly on grassy surfaces, but snow will be the least of the concerns. Gusty winds will help to dry out the roads, and ground temperatures remain fairly mild, but with temperatures dropping into the 20s by late Tuesday, we could see some ice developing, especially on elevated surfaces like bridges and overpasses. So, if you’re going to be out and about Tuesday evening or night, use caution.

While there might be a pretty good snowstorm up north, around here, we’re not expecting much. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.

We’ve covered the snow potential, and the potential for slick roads, but here’s the biggest issue we’ll be dealing with – it’s going to be cold. When we say “cold”, we mean “COLD”. As in, record low temperatures Wednesday morning across most of the region. As in wind chills (another phrase most of you don’t like) in the single numbers (Fahrenheit, not Celsius). Yeah, it’s going to feel like January Tuesday night into Wednesday. Oh yeah, we forgot to mention that Wednesday may see highs in the 20s to lower 30s.

Any location that is circled is likely to set a record low temperatures Wednesday morning. Yeah, it’s going to be cold. Image provided by Weathermodels.com

Winds will diminish for Thursday, but it will remain chilly. Temperatures should start to moderate a little on Friday as high pressure slides offshore. Of course, another cold front comes through Friday night and then we get cold again next weekend, but probably not quite as cold as Tuesday night and Wednesday. Temperatures will still be well below normal.

Wind chills will be in the single numbers when most of you wake up Wednesday morning. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Monday: Mostly cloudy with a few showers possible, mainly north of the Mass Pike. High 41-48 north and west of Boston, 49-56 south of Boston.

Monday night: Cloudy with showers developing late at night. Evening low 34-41 north and west of Boston, 42-49 south of Boston. Temperatures may rise after midnight

Tuesday: Cloudy and breezy with showers likely, changing to sleet and snow during the afternoon. Morning high 42-49 north and west of Boston, 50-57 south of Boston, then temperatures quickly drop in the afternoon.

GFS forecast for temperatures starting at midnight tonight and ending at 7am Wednesday. Loop provided by WeatherBell.

Tuesday night: Any lingering snow showers end in the evening, then clearing, breezy, and colder. Low 13-20.

Wednesday: Sunny, breezy, and cold. High 25-32.

Thursday: Intervals of clouds and sun, a few flurries are possible at night. High 34-41.

Friday: Sunshine to start, then clouds move in during the afternoon. High 43-50.

Saturday: Sunshine and some afternoon clouds. High 31-38.

Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds. High 37-44.

Weekly Outlook: November 4-10, 2019

Uh-oh. It’s that time. You’ve been dreading it, but you knew it was coming eventually. We’re going to use a four-letter word that you hate. That’s right, the word is “snow”. It is November after all, and your luck will run out eventually.

On average, our first measurable snow occurs in late October or early November across the region. Image provided by NOAA.

We’ll start the week under the influence of high pressure, so another dry and cool day is expected today. A weak cold front moves through on Tuesday, producing some showers, but they shouldn’t be too heavy or last that long. Ahead of the front, it actually might be a bit mild around here. Don’t get too used to it, because high pressure returns for Wednesday with dry and cool weather once again. This brings us to the end of the week.

Another cold front will move through on Thursday, with some rain likely. The front will likely stall out, but where it stalls is still a big question mark. It’s an important one too, as a wave of low pressure will likely ride along the front. One model has the front stall out well to the south, with the wave staying well offshore. This would allow high pressure to build in, and result in a dry but very cold Friday, and into the weekend. Other models have the front stall just south of the region, and the wave pass a lot closer. This would likely result widespread precipitation across the region, with at least some of it falling as snow across the interior, possibly even to the coastline. High pressure would then build in behind the storm for a dry and very chilly weekend.

The ECMWF model is not painting a pretty picture for Thursday night and Friday. We’ll be paying close attention to it and other models this week. Loop provided by Pivotal Weather.

There’s still plenty of uncertainty with this storm, and at this point, we’re not sure which way to lean. On one hand, some of the models have been indicating for quite some time now the possibility of snow for parts of the area somewhere in the November 9-13 time frame. However, they’ve been changing with the details on nearly every run, so while our confidence has growing that we’d some “some” snow during that period, we really couldn’t go into deeper detail than that. At this point, we still can’t, because there is still little agreement with the models. However, should we end up dealing with a storm system, the closer you are to the coast, the less likely you’ll see accumulating snow. Ocean temperatures are still in the upper 40s to lower 50s, so a wind blowing off the ocean would bring milder air in along the coast. Plus, the ground is still relatively mild. Sure, we could see some snow even at the coastline, but the better chance for accumulating snow would be north and west of Boston. The farther inland, the better the odds. Obviously, we’ll keep an eye on the evolution of this system as the week goes on, and if needed, will write a special blog post later in the week.

Saturday looks like it is going to be quite chilly across the Northeast, no matter what happens before then. Time to pull out the winter clothes. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Monday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 46-53.

Monday night: Partly cloudy. Low 38-45.

Tuesday: Some morning sunshine, then becoming cloudy with a few showers likely during the afternoon. High 54-61.

Tuesday night: Any lingering showers end during the evening, then skies become mostly clear. Low 32-39.

Wednesday: Plenty of sunshine. High 44-51.

Thursday: Some early sun, then becoming cloudy with showers developing late in the day. Showers may change to snow overnight, especially north and west of Boston. High 47-54.

Friday: Cloudy and breezy with a chance of snow north and west of Boston in the morning, chance of rain possibly mixed with wet snow from Boston southward. Skies will clear out late in the day. High 34-41.

Saturday: Mostly sunny. High 32-39.

Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds, breezy. High 41-48.

One final note – several models show the potential for another system towards the middle of next week that may also contain the “s” word. Welcome to winter!

Weekly Outlook: October 28-November 3, 2019

Changes are coming, right about when we flip the calendar until November. Before that? Let’s just say that this will be a good week to get stuff done around the house in you’re not working.

The low pressure that brought us all the rain and wind yesterday? Yeah, it hasn’t gone too far away yet. It’ll keep some clouds around today, especially close to the coastline, with some patchy drizzle, fog, and maybe even a few showers. It may also help produce a little coastal flooding, as tides remain astronomically high, and persistent northeast to east winds will help push the water into the coastline.

The low starts to pull away Monday night and high pressure starts to build into the Canadian Maritimes, so things get better for Tuesday and Wednesday, right? Sorta. We’ll still have some residual moisture around thanks to easterly winds, that’ll keep clouds and maybe some drizzle or a few showers around. A weak trough of low pressure may bring in some additional showers Tuesday night into Wednesday.

The NAM model shows the little bits of moisture moving in from the ocean as drizzle today, and the showers moving in ahead of a trough early Wednesday. Loop provided by WeatherBell.

OK, so once the trough moves through, things finally improve, right? Wrong, they go downhill even more. Low pressure moving across the Ohio Valley will move into the eastern Great Lakes Thursday into Friday. Ahead of it, we should get pretty mild around here, thanks to some gusty south to southwest winds. However, we’ll also have plenty of clouds and some rain, possibly a decent amount of rain. (For trick-or-treaters: Find an umbrella) A strong cold front brings an end to the rain sometime Friday morning or early afternoon.

Temperatures could be quite mild Friday morning before a strong cold front moves through. Image provided by Weathermodels.com

Alright, so things will finally get better for next weekend, right? Yes and no. High pressure will build in, so we’ll have sunshine returning. That’s good. However, much cooler air will also move in (it will be November after all), and for some of you, that’s not a good thing. Also, don’t forget that Daylight Saving Time ends next Sunday morning at 2am. That means you get an extra hour of sleep!

A killing frost or freeze could be in the cards next Sunday night. If you’ve been resisting turning on your heat, that time may finally be coming. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Monday: Low clouds, fog, drizzle, maybe a few sunny breaks well inland in the morning. High 51-58.

Monday night: Mostly cloudy with some drizzle and fog around. Low 44-51.

Tuesday: Plenty of clouds with a chance for some drizzle or a shower, a few sunny breaks are also possible. High 53-60.

Tuesday night: Partly to mostly cloudy with some showers likely. Low 48-55.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy and milder with a few showers around. High 60-67.

Thursday (Halloween): Cloudy, breezy, and mild with scattered showers. High 59-66.

Friday: Windy with rain ending in the morning, then becoming partly to mostly sunny in the afternoon. High 61-68 in the morning, then temperatures drop during the afternoon.

Saturday: Sunshine and a few clouds, much cooler. High 49-56.

Sunday: Mostly sunny. High 46-53.

Finally, we’ve seen plenty of people releasing their “Winter Outlook” over the past week or two, and more will be coming in the next few weeks. Lots of these will fail spectacularly, others may end up close to the truth. But we’re going to give you ours right now. Not only that, we’re going to guarantee that it’s 100% accurate! You read that right. So, without further delay, here’s our outlook: The months of December through March will be colder than temperatures are now, and there will be some snow. If you want any more details than that, we’ll keep providing them through the winter, 7 days at a time, more often when there are storms.

Weekly Outlook: October 21-27, 2019

Who likes rain? Well, you’ve got some coming this week. What about mild weather? That’s coming as well. Cool weather instead? Yup, we’ve got that too. What about snow? Sorry, none of that…..yet.

We’ve got nothing like this in the forecast, but 40 years ago this week, we had temperatures well into the 80s across the area, just 10 days after much of the region received some measurable snow. Image provided by the Northeast Regional Climate Center.

We start the week off with what’s left of “Tropical Storm Nestor” (we’re not convinced it was ever really a tropical storm), south and east of the Cape and Islands. Any lingering showers from the storm end in the morning, with some clearing taking place in the afternoon, especially the farther north you go. The clouds come right back in Monday night as a frontal system starts to move in from the west. That front will bring in some showers, mainly late Tuesday into early Wednesday.

We’re not expecting a lot of rain for most of us Tuesday night, but a few places could see some appreciable amounts. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.

Once the front moves offshore on Wednesday, skies start to clear out as high pressure builds in. That will bring us dry and seasonably mild weather for Thursday. However, another system will start to move in later Friday with another round of showers expected late Friday and Friday. High pressure builds in behind the system with dry and cooler conditions for next weekend. While we’re fairly sure Saturday will be dry, Sunday may not be. One model shows the potential for another storm to move in, with rain by late in the day. A second model holds the rain off until Sunday night, while a third keeps the system south of the region entirely. We’re going to lean towards a dry forecast for now, but it’s low confidence at this time.

Monday: Some lingering clouds and a few showers across southeastern Massachusetts, becoming partly to mostly sunny elsewhere. High 56-63.

Monday night: Clouds return. Low 42-49.

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers late in the day. High 53-60.

Tuesday night: Cloudy and breezy with showers likely, a few of which may be heavy. Low 48-55.

Wednesday: Breezy with showers ending early then clouds gradually give way to afternoon sunshine. High 59-66.

Thursday: Sunshine and a few clouds. High 57-64.

Friday: Mostly cloudy with showers likely late in the day and at night. High 57-64.

Saturday: Any lingering showers end in the morning, then a mix of sun and clouds and cooler in the afternoon. High 50-57.

Sunday: Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of showers late in the day and at night. High 49-56.

Looking ahead to next week, it looks like some cooler air is going to settle into the region. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Weekly Outlook: October 14-20, 2019

We’ve got good news and bad news for this week’s forecast. Good news: Some mild weather is expected. Bad news, some rain is expected as well. But wait, we need the rain, so maybe that’s good news too! Let’s get to the details.

We start the week off with an area of low pressure passing south of the region. It may produce some showers this morning across the Cape and the Islands and possibly the South Coast, but by afternoon, we’ll see sunshine in most places. A weak cold front moves through this evening, then high pressure builds in for Tuesday into part of Wednesday. This will result in more sunshine and seasonably mild temperatures.

Precipitation amounts have been well below normal since the middle of July across much of the Northeast. Image provided by the Northeast Regional Climate Center.

Later Wednesday, a coastal storm will start to develop off the Mid-Atlantic coastline and head northeastward, likely passing very close to, if not right over, the Cape and Islands. As this storm gets wound up, it will bring some gusty winds to the region, especially on Thursday as it moves into the Gulf of Maine. It will also produce some rainfall. Many of the models are indicating the potential for some heavy rainfall. However, these same models went for heavy rainfall with the last few similar storms, and for the most part, it didn’t materialize. Plus, we’ve been very dry lately. We’re not in a drought yet, but things have been trending that way. When we are in drought, most storms seem to under-perform rainfall-wise, compared to what the models show. Since we’ve been burned on the last couple of storms, we’re of the opinion that we need to see it to believe it. Yes, we’re expecting rain Wednesday night into part of Thursday, but we’re not buying the “heavy rain” aspect just yet (but you can bet some of the TV guys will because they need something to hype).

Wind gusts of 30-40 mph or more are possible behind the storm on Thursday. Image provided by WeatherBell.

High pressure builds in behind the storm on Friday with some cooler weather as an upper-level low pressure area crosses the Northeast. After that, the high moves offshore, and we warm up again next weekend. In fact, don’t be surprised if we top 70 again on Sunday. The warm weather may even remain in place for the beginning of the following week as well.

Sunday is looking like a rather nice mid-October day. Image provided by Weathermodels.com

Monday: A few showers in the morning across the Cape and possibly the South Coast, otherwise skies will become partly to mostly sunny. High 63-70.

Monday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 40-47.

Tuesday: Sunshine and a few clouds. High 54-61.

Tuesday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 38-45.

Wednesday: Some morning sunshine, then clouds move in during the afternoon. Breezy at times with rain developing towards the evening commute and continuing overnight. High 57-64.

Thursday: Windy with showers ending in the morning from southwest to northeast, some sunny breaks may develop in the afternoon. High 51-58.

Friday: Sunshine and some afternoon clouds, still breezy. High 53-60.

Saturday: Plenty of sunshine. High 56-63.

Sunday: More sunshine. High 63-70.

We’d like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to our neighbors North of the Border.