As we get into the middle of August, we are at the traditional end of the so-called “Dog Days of Summer“. Most of this week is not going to live up to that name though. Instead, we’re going to be stuck with “MOTS” as the late, great Dick Albert used to say. That stands for “More Of The Same”. In other words, not much heat, but more rain.

The week starts off with low pressure passing south of New England. That means were in for some rain and cool conditions later Monday into Tuesday. In some places, it might be more than “some” rain, and could be “a lot” of rain. High pressure then builds in for Wednesday, Thursday, and possibly Friday, meaning we get to use another one of Dickie’s favorite expressions to describe those days – “F and D”, which means “Fine and Dandy.” Next weekend could be unsettled, as we’ll have a frontal system in the neighborhood, so the possibility for showers and thunderstorms will increase.

Monday: Cloudy with rain developing during the afternoon. High 72-79.

Monday night: Periods of rain and showers, possibly heavy at times, especially along the South Coast. A rumble of thunder is also possible. Breezy at times, mainly south of Boston. Low 58-65.

Tuesday: Showers taper off and end in the morning. Some sunny breaks may develop late in the day.  High 70-77.

Tuesday night: Becoming mostly clear. Low 55-62.

Wednesday: Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 77-84.

Thursday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 79-86.

Friday: A mix of sun and clouds. High 76-83.

Saturday: Partly sunny, chance for a few showers and thunderstorms. High 75-82.

Sunday: Intervals of clouds and sun with a chance for showers and thunderstorms. High 74-81.

The tropical Atlantic is finally waking up from its long slumber. Tropical Storm Franklin formed late Sunday evening in the western Caribbean. As of early Monday morning, it was centered just off the coastline of Nicaragua and Honduras. Maximum sustained winds were near 45 mph. The current forecast calls for the storm to move into the Yucatan Peninsula Monday evening, then move back into the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday. From there, it will likely head westward, towards the eastern coast of Mexico. Landfall is likely towards the middle to latter half of the week. The majority of the forecast models are showing that Franklin should make its second landfall as a strong tropical storm. We’re not so sure about that. For one, the models that predict intensity of tropical systems are, shall we say, not that good. OK, they suck. Maybe not as much as the New York Jets or the UMass Hockey team, but they’re not that good. Also, the water in the western Gulf of Mexico is some of the warmest water you’ll find in the Western Hemisphere right now. That could provide plenty of fuel to strengthen a system. There are plenty of other factors involved, starting with the potential for the system to not even survive its trip across the Yucatan. Having said that, we wouldn’t be surprised at all if Franklin approached the coast of Mexico as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane later this week.

Hope you enjoyed the summer weather we had last week, because we’ve got some suck-tastic (Note: that’s a technical term) conditions on the way today. Don’t worry, things will improve during the week.

A frontal system will remain south of us today into Tuesday, with a wave of low pressure riding along it. That will bring us in some rain today, and it might be fairly heavy in spots, especially along the South Coast. Some localized flash flooding is possible.

But wait, the rain isn’t the only thing to make Monday suck-tastic! We’ve got cool temperatures too! How cool? We’re glad you asked, because we have the answer. How does 60s sound for highs? Some models are hinting that temperatures could stay in the 50s during the afternoon. That’s awfully chilly for mid-July, even in New England. In fact, we could set some record low max temperatures. We’re all going to have a case of the Mondays.

But wait, there’s more! We’ve also got coastal flooding! That’s right, thanks to a full moon giving us the highest tides of the month, and a persistent onshore wind, some coastal flooding is possible around high tide, especially along east-facing shorelines.

By Tuesday, the low pressure area will start to slowly pull away, though we could see a few leftover showers. The clouds may hang tough for a good chunk of the day, and temperatures may also stay cool, so it won’t be the best of days, but at least it won’t be as bad as today.

Things get much better on Wednesday when high pressure builds in, bringing us sunshine, milder temperatures, and low humidity. Don’t get used to it. The humidity returns on Thursday along with the chance for some showers and thunderstorms ahead of another cold front. That front will move through early Friday, and stall out. We’ll have to see exactly where it stalls, as a wave of low pressure is going to ride along that front on Friday. If it stalls out south of New England, as at least one model shows, then skies could clear out and the rain stays off to our south. If the front stalls out right across the area, as another model shows, then we could be looking at another round of heavy rain and thunderstorms for Friday, with unsettled conditions lingering into Saturday. High pressure returns on Sunday with drier and cooler conditions.

The GFS model keeps low pressure well south of New England Friday into Saturday, with some fair weather across the area. Image provided by Tropical Tidbits.

The ECMWF model brings low pressure right across New England Friday into Saturday, with another round of suck-tastic weather across the area. Image provided by Tropical Tidbits.

Monday: Cloudy, breezy, and cool with periods of rain, possibly heavy at times. High 60-67.

Monday night: Cloudy with some additional showers or drizzle around. Low 54-61.

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with a chance for a few more showers. High 64-71.

Tuesday night: Becoming clear to partly cloudy. Low 53-60.

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

Thursday: Partly sunny, becoming humid, chance for a shower or thunderstorm. High 78-85.

Friday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and thunderstorms. High 73-80.

Saturday: Intervals of clouds and sun, chance for a few additional showers. High 75-82.

Sunday: Partly to mostly sunny and drier. High 76-83.

Here we are in the middle of summer, and we’re still waiting to have a full week of actual “summer” weather. Well, guess what? That wait may finally be over! That’s right, some actual bona-fide “summer weather” looks like it’ll be here for the next 7 days.

What’s actually going on for most of the week is fairly simple to explain. High pressure will remain in place off the East Coast for the next several days. That means we’ll have warm and increasingly humid conditions right through Wednesday. When it’s warm and humid, we also have the daily chance for showers and thunderstorms. We’re not expecting any widespread severe weather, but any storms that do form could produce some gusty winds and heavy downpours. Thunderstorms may be a bit more widespread as we head into Thursday, especially Thursday evening and night, as a cold front moves towards the region. Ahead of the front, temperatures should reach the 90s across much of the region, making for an oppressive day. Of course, some of you enjoy that, so Thursday might be considered the “best” day of the week by those standards. The front moves through Thursday night, and drier and slightly cooler conditions return for Friday and Saturday. Clouds and maybe more showers and thunderstorms could return on Sunday ahead of another front.

Monday: Partly sunny skies, a late-day shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 81-88.

Monday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 61-68.

Tuesday: A mix of sun and clouds, scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 78-85.

Tuesday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 63-70.

Wednesday: Sunshine gives way to increasing clouds with afternoon showers and thunderstorms possible. High 84-91.

Thursday: Partly sunny, hot, and humid, with a chance for late-day showers and thunderstorms. High 88-95.

Friday: A mix of sunshine and clouds, less humid. High 82-89.

Saturday: Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 78-85.

Sunday: More clouds than sun with a chance for showers and thunderstorms. High 80-87.

We’re approaching the mid-point of meteorological summer, so you’d think that we should finally have a week of typical “summer weather”, right? C’mon, you should know better. This is New England, the only thing typical about the weather here is that is typically changes all the time. This week won’t be an exception.

The week will start off with high pressure moving off the East Coast, so we’ll have warm and increasingly humid air in place. So far, so good, right? A cold front approaches on Tuesday, likely triggering some showers and thunderstorms. A few strong storms are possible, but the bulk of the severe weather should remain well to our north and west. That front looks like it’s going to stall out near the South Coast on Wednesday. This may keep clouds and some showers around, especially the closer you get to the South Coast. A couple of weak systems will move through for Thursday and Friday, with more rain and unseasonably cool temperatures, though it could remain warm south of the Mass Pike – south of the front. Things should improve next weekend, both in the skycover and temperature departments.

Monday: Sunshine and some afternoon clouds. High 80-87.

Monday night: Partly cloudy, showers possible late at night. Low 63-70.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, additional showers and thunderstorms are likely. High 80-87.

Tuesday night: Partly to mostly cloudy, showers and thunderstorms taper off in the evening. Low 65-72.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, chance for a few showers and thunderstorms. High 78-85.

Thursday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine with more showers and thunderstorms possible. High 70-78 north of the Mass Pike, 78-85 south of the Mass Pike. Temperatures could drop sharply in the afternoon.

Friday: Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and showers. High 63-70 north of the Mass Pike, 70-77 south of the Mass Pike.

Saturday: Partly sunny, chance for a shower or thunderstorm. High 75-82.

Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds. High 80-87.

Finally, we’ll address the tropics again. Right now, the Atlantic is relatively quiet. A weak tropical wave is passing south of the Cape Verde Islands, producing some showers and thunderstorms. As we normally do at this time of year, we’ll keep an eye on it as it makes it’s way across the Atlantic Ocean this week. Conditions might be favorable for some development, but if any occurs, it likely won’t happen for several more days. That being said, some of the computer models have been suggesting that this system will develop, which has sent some of the weather weenies on the internet into a frenzy. If we had a dollar for every time the models tried to develop a tropical system and it never happened, we’d be filthy rich right now. These models are notoriously bad and predicting the development of these systems. We’re talking UMass-Amherst hockey level of ineptitude. We’re not going to state right now that this system won’t develop. These models are right on occasion, and there is always a chance. But right now, that chance is pretty low. If it does develop, we’ll let you know if there’s anything to worry about.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.