Weekly Outlook: April 17-23, 2017

We’ve made it to Patriots Day, a true “Boston Holiday”, and usually the final sign that winter is over and Spring has arrived. So, does that hold true this year? Probably.

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Patriots Day is probably our favorite day of the year here at Storm HQ. Image provided by Boston Athletic Association.

 

As for the upcoming week, we’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that Monday will be another fantastic day with partial sunshine and temperatures in the 60s to lower 70s. The bad news? Much of the rest of the week won’t be so nice. Let’s get to the details.

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Sunday was quite toasty across the region. Don’t expect a repeat this week, or for a while. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Monday starts off with low pressure head into the Atlantic Canada and high pressure starting to build in from the west and northwest. This will result in sunshine and gusty westerly winds.  Temperatures will still be on the warm side, but about 15-20 degrees cooler than they were on Sunday. By Tuesday, high pressure moves into Atlantic Canada, meaning we still have sunshine, but northeast to east winds off of the 45-degree Atlantic Ocean mean that temperatures will drop another 10-15 degrees or so. By Wednesday, winds shift back to the southwest. This is good, because we’ll turn warmer, right? Well, yes, it will be a little milder, but also a lot cloudier and probably wetter as some rain moves in. Another cold front will move through very slowly on Thursday, possibly stalling out across the region as another storm starts to move out of the Great Lakes. This means more rain for Thursday into Friday. Temperatures on Friday are a big question mark, especially south of the Mass Pike. It all depends on where the low pressure area actually tracks. If it stays south of New England as one models shows, temperatures may stay in the 40s all day. If it tracks along and/or north of the Mass Pike, as another model showers, temperatures could spike into the 60s and lower 70s south of the Pike while areas to the north stay in the upper 40s and 50s. For now, we’ll split the difference and go in the middle, but there is a large bust potential for that forecast. As the system moves offshore early Saturday, cooler air will settle in behind it. If the cooler air moves in overnight before the rain ends, we could see some wet snowflakes mix in, especially across central and northern NH, as well as in the Monadnocks. Saturday will be a windy and cool day with plenty of clouds, and maybe even a lingering shower or two. High pressure returns for Sunday.

Monday: Sunshine dimmed by some high clouds at times in the afternoon, breezy at times. High 66-73.

Monday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 36-43.

Tuesday: Low clouds, fog, and drizzle may move in along the coast, well inland skies should be partly to mostly sunny. High 45-52, coolest along the coast.

Tuesday night: Partly to mostly cloudy.  Low 32-39.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. High 47-54.

Thursday: Cloudy with occasional showers. High 50-57.

Friday: Breezy with periods of rain and showers likely. High 50-57.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy and windy with lingering showers. High 48-55.

Sunday:  A mix of sun and clouds. High 54-61.

Marathon/Red Sox Forecast: Sunshine and some high clouds. West to west-northwest winds 10-15 mph may gusts to 25 mph at times (that’s a nice tail wind for the runners, and blowing out to right-center field at Fenway). Temperatures in the middle 60s at the start, upper 60s for the 1st pitch at Fenway, and near or just over 70 when the 1st runners cross the finish line. Expect the Marathon to be won by someone from Kenya (usually a safe bet) and we’re predicting for a Sox win as well. Hopefully, the winning ways will continue on Causeway Street in the evening when the Bruins take on the Senators.

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It’s a great time to be a Boston Sports fan, and we haven’t even mentioned the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. Image provided by TheSportsQuotient.com

Weekly Outlook: April 10-16, 2017

Blizzards. Arctic Outbreaks. Freezing Rain. Scraping your windshield. Getting stuck behind a conga line of plows on the highway. Common occurrences in winter, and you’ve been dealing with them for several months while dreaming of sunshine and warmer days. You can stop dreaming now, because those days have arrived. They may not last long though, so you’d better enjoy them while they are here.

High pressure will move offshore today, with southwesterly winds bringing warm air into the region today into Tuesday. If you live along the South Coast or especially the Cape, it won’t be quite as warm, as southwest winds will be a seabreeze coming off the still fairly cool ocean. Away from the South Coast, we’re looking at highs well into the 70s, with some places possibly getting into the 80s on Tuesday. Yes, we’re serious, April Fool’s Day was over a week ago. Wednesday is the tricky day. Low pressure will pass by to the north, dragging a cold front across the region, likely producing scattered showers and maybe some thunder. It will still be warm ahead of the front, though the cloud cover and showers will prevent it from getting as warm as Tuesday. However, if we can get some sunshine to develop, temperatures could get into the 70s one more time. We snap back to reality on Thursday as high pressure builds in with much more seasonable conditions lasting into Friday. We’ll start to warm up again for the weekend, but another system will approach from the west, with some more showers possible on Sunday.

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Temperatures should be well into the 70s away from the South Coast on Tuesday. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.

We’re not quite ready to say that it’s OK to put away all of your winter gear just yet, this is New England after all, and we’ve had measurable snow into mid-May before. However, we’re getting close. One of the longer-range models shows the potential for at least some wet snow to mix in with some rain across parts of the region towards the middle of next week. That’s still a long ways off, and has plenty of time to change. This same model also shows the potential for the latter half of April to be very wet, which could result in a lot of flooding around here. We’ll worry about that later on though. For now, enjoy the warm weather.

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The GFS model thinks that the latter half of April could be quite damp around here. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Monday: Sunshine dimmed by some high clouds, breezy. High 69-76, except 61-68 along the South Coast, even cooler on the Cape and Islands.

Monday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 48-55.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny through some high clouds once again. High 75-82, except 67-74 along the South Coast, even cooler on the Cape and Islands.

Tuesday night: Thickening clouds. Low 49-56.

Wednesday: Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers developing, maybe even a few rumbles of thunder. High 65-72 by midday, cooler across the Cape and Islands. Temperatures will likely drop sharply in the afternoon, especially north and west of Boston.

Thursday: A mix of sun and clouds. High 53-60, coolest along the coast.

Friday: Plenty of sunshine. High 51-58, coolest along coast.

Saturday:  Mostly sunny to start, clouds start to move in during the afternoon. High 56-63, coolest along coast.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. High 66-73, except 58-65 along the South Coast, even cooler on the Cape and Islands.

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We’re just a week away from another of the traditional signs that winter has ended. Image provided by the Boston Athletic Association.

Marathon Monday Outlook: A mix of sunshine and clouds. Temperatures in the lower to middle 50s for the start of the race in Hopkinton, rising to the lower to middle 60s for the end of the race and start of the Red Sox traditional 11:05am Patriots Day game.

 

Weekly Outlook: April 3-9, 2017

Good news! We’ve flipped the calendar to April and now we’ve got the surest sign yet that Spring has arrived:

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Opening Day should be a National Holiday. Image provided by MLB.com

The sun is shining and the Yankees are already in last place. Can things get better? Unfortunately, in terms of the weather, the answer is: “not this week”. Monday is definitely the pick of the week.

We start with high pressure bringing us sunshine and seasonably cool temperatures. However, by the time we get to the final out at Fenway today, clouds should already be streaming into the region. The storm system that brought all the severe weather to Texas and the Gulf Coast on Sunday will head into the Great Lakes by Tuesday, sending some rain into our area. The rain may start as a little freezing rain or sleet in southern NH Tuesday morning, but otherwise, this storm will be mainly liquid until it ends Wednesday morning. Wednesday looks mostly dry, but after that, we’ve got another slow-moving system heading our way from the Great Lakes. This one will bring in more rain for Thursday into Friday. Clouds and showers may linger into Saturday as an upper-level system moves through, but things should start to improve by Sunday as high pressure starts to build back in.

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The potential exists for 1-3 inches of rain across the region this week. That could cause some flooding problems by late in the week. Image provided by WeatherBell.

There are some models that are showing the potential for warmer weather to finally move in early next week for at least a couple of days. That’s still a long ways off though, so don’t count on it just yet. We wouldn’t put away the snowbrush either, just in case. We have had measurable snow around here in May before.

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The GFS is trying to bring some really nice weather into the region next week. Will it actually happen? We’ll see. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.

Monday: Morning sunshine fades behind increasing afternoon clouds. High 51-58, cooler right along the coast.

Monday night: Cloudy with showers developing, possibly starting as some sleet or freezing rain in southern NH. Low 31-38.

Tuesday: Breezy with rain likely. High 39-46.

Tuesday night: Showers taper off and end. Low 33-40.

Wednesday: More clouds than sunshine, chance for a shower or two, mainly in the morning.  High 46-53.

Thursday: Windy with rain likely.  High 44-51.

Friday: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. High 49-56.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with more showers possible. High 47-54.

Sunday:  A mix of sun and clouds. High 48-55.

First Pitch Forecast: Sunshine dimmed by high clouds, winds blowing in from CF, and a game-time temperature around 48 degrees. Go Sox! #WinDanceRepeat

Weekly Outlook March 27-April 3, 2017

As we prepare to flip the calendar from March into April, it looks like a week of typical springtime weather in New England is in the forecast. What exactly is “typical springtime weather” in New England? Why, it’s a little bit of everything. Let’s get to the details.

The week starts off chilly and damp as a warm front tries to approach from the south. As rain moves in ahead of it, temperatures will be on the cool side, so we may even see a little freezing rain in the morning well north and west of Boston. If you live there or have to head there in the morning, take things a little on the slow side. The rest of Monday will be fairly wet, as a wave of low pressure rides along that front across the region. We’re not sure that front ever makes it completely across the region, so if you were expecting some milder conditions, you may be out of luck, especially the farther north you head. Another wave of low pressure rides along the front on Tuesday, giving us more rainfall. While a couple of cool and wet days doesn’t sound good, the rain is beneficial. We are still in a drought across the region, and need plenty more rainfall to break it.

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We still need a lot more rain to break the drought. Image provided by National Drought Monitor.

 

Once that wave of low pressure moves by Tuesday night, high pressure then builds in for Wednesday and Thursday. So, we’ll finally get some sunshine again, especially away from the coastline, but it will remain on the cool side, with temperatures staying a little below normal. (Highs should generally be in the lower to middle 50s as we head into early April.) This brings us to Friday and Saturday. Another system will approach from the west very slowly, and likely pass to our south. That means another extended period of precipitation across the region. Notice, we said “precipitation” and not “rain”. That’s because it might not all be just rain. Yup, the dreaded “S-word” is possible again. It’s a little too early to tell how likely it is, but the best chance for any accumulating snow would probably be in the higher terrain. As we head into April, it becomes tougher and tougher to get accumulating snow around here, especially during the daytime. Oh, it’s happened plenty of times, but you need things to be set up just right, and this doesn’t look to be that type of setup right now. Showers may linger around here into Sunday before high pressure starts to build in again. Right now next Monday looks partly cloudy and seasonably cool. If you have to ask why we’ve included Monday, then you’re probably not from around here.

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Opening Day should be a National Holiday. Image provided by Boston.com

Monday: Periods of rain, possibly some freezing rain well north and west of Boston in the morning. High 37-44, except 44-51 south of Boston.

Monday night: Rain tapers off in the evening, then becoming mostly cloudy with some patchy drizzle. Low 33-40.

Tuesday: Cloudy with rain and showers redeveloping. High 47-54.

Tuesday night: Cloudy with showers tapering off and ending. Low 34-41.

Wednesday: Skies may remain cloudy with some lingering drizzle or showers along the coast, becoming partly to mostly sunny well inland. High 45-52, coolest along the coast.

Thursday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 42-49, coolest along the coast.

Friday: Becoming cloudy with showers developing, possibly mixing with or changing to snow well north and west of Boston, especially at night. High 40-47.

Saturday: Breezy with rain likely, possibly mixed with snow well north and west of Boston. High 39-46.

Sunday: Cloudy skies with showers possibly lingering in eastern areas into the morning. High 46-53.

Finally, here’s something that we find this interesting, and since this is our blog, we’re going to tell you about it. There’s a tropical disturbance east-northeast of the Bahamas that is being watched for development right now. Yes, it’s March. No, it’s not unheard of, though it is fairly rare. It’s not expected to develop into a tropical system, but could become quite a gale in the North Atlantic this week.

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It’s not very often you see the tropical suite of models run for a system in the Atlantic in March. Image provided by WeatherBell.

 

Weekly Outlook: March 20-26, 2017

Astronomical spring starts today at 6:29am, and for part of this week, it will actually feel like Spring. Of course, that means part of the week won’t feel like Spring. Sorry to disappoint you, but the parts that don’t feel like Spring won’t feel like Summer. Yup, that means they’ll feel like Winter. It is still March after all.

The week will start off with low pressure continuing to pull away from the area and high pressure building in. That means sunshine, diminishing winds and mild temperatures. A weak front moves through tonight, bringing some clouds with it, and little more than that. Tuesday will have plenty of clouds and some sunny breaks, but it will be a few degrees warmer than Monday. We’re heading in the right direction, right? Wrong. A stronger cold front moves through Tuesday night, with a few snow showers possible. Skies quickly clear out behind it giving us plenty of sunshine on Wednesday, but it will be windy and much colder. Possibly even cold enough to set a few records. Yeah, that’s cold. High pressure builds in later Wednesday into Thursday with sunshine, diminishing winds. We start to warm up on Friday as a warm front approaches, possibly bringing a few showers with it. Whether that warm front actually makes it through or not is still not set in stone.

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Thursday morning will be chilly, with some record lows possible in the Northeast. Image provided by WeatherBell.

This brings us to next weekend. This is where things get complicated. If the warm front moves through, Temperatures on Saturday could spike into the 60s in many areas, especially if we get any sunshine. If the front doesn’t come through, we might stay in the 40s all day. For now, we’ll stay right in the middle, with upper 40s to middle 50s, but please realize that temperatures could be considerably warmer or colder than what we are forecasting at the moment. Regardless of whether the warm front moves through, a cold front will drop southward across the region later on Saturday, bringing in some showers and cooler conditions, especially if we get into the warm air. That front will stall out south of New England on Sunday while a wave of low pressure moves along it. Exactly how quickly that wave moves along the front and how far south the front stalls are key to the forecast. Right now, it looks to be a little too far south and moving a little too quickly, which means that most of the precipitation moves out before the colder air settles in. That means the rain may end as some snow on Sunday, with only a little accumulation in some spots. However, there are some models that have the front stall a little closer to the South Coast, and the wave moves through a little slower. The result is a better chance of some accumulating snow later Sunday into Monday, and for at least one model, a lot more accumulating snow. For now, we’re leaning towards the solution with little to no snow, but the potential is there for more snow across the area. If anything does materialize, we’ll let you know later in the week. For now, don’t worry about changing any plans, but just keep an eye on the forecast on the off-chance that this does become a problem.

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A few models are showing the potential for highs in the 60s on Saturday. Not all of them show this though. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Monday: Mostly sunny skies with diminishing winds. Clouds start to move in late in the day. High 44-51.

Monday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 25-32.

Tuesday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 47-54.

Tuesday night: Slight chance for a rain or snow shower, then clearing skies and windy. Low 25-32.

Wednesday: Becoming mostly sunny, windy, and colder. High 30-37.

Thursday: Plenty of sunshine, still breezy and cold. High 29-36.

Friday: Becoming mostly cloudy, breezy, and milder with a chance of showers. High 40-47.

Saturday: More clouds than sunshine, chance for a few showers. High 48-55.

Sunday: Partly to mostly cloudy, chance for some snow or rain showers, especially along the South Coast. High 34-41.

Weekly Outlook: March 13-19, 2017

Spring is almost here. Just keep reminding yourself of that. Red Sox Opening Day is 3 weeks from today. Marathon Monday is 5 weeks from today. Before you know it, we’ll be walking around in shorts and enjoying warm weather. Got those thoughts in your head now? Good, because this week will feel like the middle of winter. In case you haven’t heard and thanks to the relentless TV and internet hype, everyone has heard, the “Storm of the Century of the Week” is going to paralyze the region for the next 6 weeks. OK, we got caught up in the hype for a second. Seriously though, we’ve got ourselves a significant snowstorm heading our way for Tuesday.

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GFS model forecast for the progression of the storm from Monday evening through Wednesday evening. Loop provided by Pivotal Weather.

 

The week starts off with the proverbial “calm before the storm” on Monday, as high pressure keeps us dry and chilly. Low pressure will be moving across the Ohio Valley while a second area of low pressure starts to take shape off the Southeast coast. As the Ohio Valley system weakens, it will transfer its energy to the coastal storm, and then things really start to happen.

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It’s gonna blow on Tuesday. The wind that is. NAM model forecast for wind gusts Tuesday afternoon. Image provided by WeatherBell.

The low will move up the coastline Monday night into Tuesday and rapidly strengthen. Snow will break out across the region towards daybreak Tuesday, and will fall heavy at times from Tuesday morning into Tuesday evening. When we say heavy, we mean HEAVY, as in 2-3 inches per hour at times. The snow will be accompanied by winds gusting to 40-50 mph at times, even higher near the coast, and especially across Cape Cod. This may create blizzard conditions at times. If you’ve got plans for Tuesday, either get there by daybreak, or wait until evening to get there, because driving won’t be fun during the daytime hours, and could be quite hazardous. The good news is that the storm will be moving relatively quickly, so the snow will taper off in the evening, and end at night. The other potential good news is that the snow will likely change to rain for a time across Cape Cod. That changeover could make it into southeastern Massachusetts as well, but how far inland is still a big question. Obviously, that will have a big impact on snowfall totals.

So, how much snow are we looking at? You’ve probably heard the apocalyptic forecasts out there of 1-2 feet, or 15-30 inches, or some other crazy ranges. The fact is, with a storm moving as quickly as this one is (it’s only going to snow for about 12-15 hours), it’s tough to get amounts that high. Our preliminary numbers are:

Cape Cod: 3-6″ on the Outer Cape and Islands, 5-10″ closer to the Canal
SE Mass: 6-12″ where it mixes with rain, 10-16″ where it doesn’t.
Southern NH/ME: 10-16″
Eastern/Central Mass: 12-18″, with some isolated heavier amounts.

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GFS model forecast for snowfall through Wednesday evening, This model most closely matches our thinking for snowfall right now. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.

Things will slowly improve on Wednesday, but with an upper-level low moving across the region, we can expect some occasional snow showers, and winds will remain quite gusty as the storm gets cranked up over Atlantic Canada. High pressure starts to build in on Thursday, but it will likely be another blustery and cold day. For the holiday on Friday (it is Evacuation Day after all), it’ll be another sunny and chilly day, but winds will start to diminish as high pressure continues to build into the region. Clouds return on Saturday, then a weak cold front moves through Saturday night, bringing some snow showers in. An upper-level low may hang around into Sunday, possibly producing more snow showers.

Monday: Plenty of sunshine to start, clouds increase during the afternoon. High 26-33.

Monday night: Becoming cloudy, snow developing towards daybreak. Low 16-23.

Tuesday: Hazy, hot and humid. Windy with snow, heavy at times. High 26-33, except 33-40 across Cape Cod.

Tuesday night: Snow tapers off and ends, winds gradually diminish. Low 15-22.

Wednesday: Partly to mostly cloudy and breezy with a few snow showers possible. High 24-31.

Thursday: A mix of sun and clouds, still breezy. High 23-30.

Friday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 28-35.

Saturday: Sunshine fades behind increasing afternoon clouds. Chance for light snow or snow showers at night. High 30-37.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a few snow showers possible. High 31-38.

We will have an update on the storm Monday afternoon. Hopefully, things will be a little clearer by then. Remember, spring is just around the corner. If you keep telling yourself that, you might even start to believe it.

 

Weekly Outlook: March 6-12, 2017

The past few days have certainly been a reality check, haven’t they? It’s been cold, even by March standards. Don’t worry, the cold weather will be replaced by mild conditions for the next few days, especially at mid-week. But wait, what’s that lurking for the end of the week? Not one, but two potential chances at snow?  Remember, it is still March.

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It’s rather chilly out there early this morning with wind chills in the single numbers. Image provided by WeatherBell.

The week starts off with high pressure moving offshore, giving us sunshine and a chilly start, but temperatures will rebound nicely in the afternoon. Clouds will start to move in late in the day as a warm front starts to approach the region. With clouds in place tonight, it won’t be as chilly as the last few nights. Showers will move in Tuesday afternoon, and continue into Tuesday night, ending Wednesday morning when a cold front crosses the region. Despite the front, Wednesday will still be mild, with sunshine developing in the afternoon.High pressure builds back in on Thursday with windy and colder conditions, setting the stage for Friday and the weekend.

First, we start with Friday. Low pressure moves out of the Great Lakes and heads eastward, passing south of the region. The latest indications are that it may pass too far south to have too much of an impact on us, but we’ve still got plenty of time for the exact track to be worked out. Regardless, we’re not looking at a major storm here, as it will be moving relatively quickly, and not have a lot of moisture to work with. However, a few inches of snow would be just enough to screw up the Friday afternoon commute. Then again, three snowflakes is enough to screw up the Friday afternoon commute. High pressure builds in behind the system, but another one quickly follows from the Plains states. This one looks to impact the region late Saturday night into Sunday. Unlike the first one, it will be a little stronger, a little slower, and have a little more moisture to work with. It will also be a little farther to the south, increasing the chances that it stays to the south and has even less of an impact on parts of the region. However, that also means it could have more of an impact the farther south you go. Right now, the models are showing this storm with the potential to be a significant storm system….for the Mid-Atlantic states. Since there’s still plenty of uncertainty with both of these storms, but especially the second one, we’ll just have to keep an eye on them, and update you during the week if it looks like either of them could cause us some problems.

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One model wants to bury us with snow on Sunday. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.
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Another model says we miss the storm completely and it hits Virginia and North Carolina instead. Image provided by Pivotal Weather

 

Monday: A sunny and chilly start, then clouds start to filter in during the afternoon. High 37-44.

Monday night: Becoming mostly cloudy. Low 24-31.

Tuesday: Cloudy with showers developing in the afternoon.High 44-51.

Tuesday night: Scattered showers. Low 39-46 in the evening, then temperatures slowly rise overnight.

Wednesday: Showers ending in the morning, some sunshine develops in the afternoon. Becoming breezy. High 52-59.

Thursday: Partly to mostly sunny, windy, and colder. High 35-42.

Friday: Cloudy and breezy with a chance of light snow. High 36-43.

Saturday: Morning sunshine, then clouds return. Snow possible at night. High 24-31.

Sunday: Cloudy with a chance of snow. High 24-31.

Wait, there might be another strong storm towards the middle of next week too? We’ll worry about that one next week.

Weekly Outlook: February 27-March 5, 2017

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Please remain seated until the ride has come to a complete stop. Image provided by Coastergallery.com

 

Sure, it felt warm enough to go to an amusement park at the end of last week, and it will again in a few days. But, much like the rollercoaster above, things will go downhill too.

The week starts off with us going up the incline, as temperatures slowly rise over the next few days. While today will be sunny, thanks to high pressure, clouds will dominate Tuesday and Wednesday as a storm system approaches from the west. A few showers are possible Tuesday morning, but there’s a better chance Tuesday night into Wednesday as a warm front crosses the region. A cold front moves through Thursday morning, which means we start the downhill part of the ride at that point. This is where some of you will start screaming, because even though the rain will end and the sun will return, it will be windy and colder, with temperatures dropping all day. But wait, the thrills don’t end there! An Alberta Clipper comes through the region on Friday, bringing us some light snow (some of you are probably screaming again right now). This isn’t set in stone just yet, as some models have the storm staying just to our south, so we’ll need to keep an eye on this as the week goes on. High pressure builds in for the weekend, with chilly temperatures expected on Saturday. We start the next uphill climb on Sunday as temperatures start to head back up once again.

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Record highs again on Wednesday? Certainly looks like a possibility. Image provided by WeatherBell.

Monday: Plenty of sunshine, breezy. High 48-55.

Monday night: Increasing clouds, chance for a few showers towards daybreak. Low 30-37.

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, a few showers are possible in the morning. High 49-56.

Tuesday night: Cloudy with periods of rain and showers likely. Low 39-46.

Wednesday: Breezy with mild with showers likely, maybe even a thunderstorm. High 58-65.

Thursday: Becoming partly to mostly sunny, windy, and colder. High 45-52 early, then temperatures drop throughout the day.

Friday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of light snow. High 31-38.

Saturday: A mix of sun and clouds, windy. High 26-33.

Sunday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 42-49.

Weekly Outlook: February 20-26, 2017

After a couple of warm days, those rapid-fire snowstorms sure seem like they happened awhile ago, right? OK, so you still can’t see your lawn, but the good news is, you probably will within a few days. That’s right, the warm weather will continue and there’s no snow in the picture.

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Another sure sign that spring is just around the corner. Before you know it, you’ll see pictures of David Price throwing at Fenway, not Fenway South. Image provided by Redsox.com

 

The week starts off with high pressure keeping us dry for Monday and Tuesday. Monday will be cooler than the weekend was, but temperatures will still be right around or maybe a little above where they should be for mid-to-late February. We’ll start to warm up on Tuesday as high pressure moves offshore, but a weak system may bring in some showers Tuesday night. Then it turns warmer again. Wednesday should see highs in the 50s, and we may even make a run at 60 on Thursday, with some record highs possible. A weak cold front moves through late Thursday, but behind it, temperatures should remain quite mild for Friday and Saturday, though Saturday is also looking wet, as a storm system moves into the Great Lakes. That storm drags a cold front through Saturday night, and Sunday will be windy and colder. Of course, when we say “colder”, we mean,”right about where we should be in late February.”

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Thursday is looking quite mild with some record highs possible. Image provided by WeatherBell.

 

Monday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 35-42.

Monday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 18-25.

Tuesday: Morning sunshine fades behind increasing afternoon clouds. High 37-44.

Tuesday night: Cloudy with scattered showers. Evening low 28-35, then temperatures rise overnight.

Wednesday: Plenty of clouds with some sunny breaks. High 47-54.

Thursday: More clouds than sunshine. High 54-61.

Friday: A mix of sun and clouds. Showers likely at night. High 48-55.

Saturday: Cloudy and breezy with showers likely. High 50-57.

Sunday: Sunshine and some afternoon clouds, breezy, and cooler. High 38-45.

Just because this week is going to be warm, doesn’t mean that winter is over. We’ve had some sizable snowstorms around here in March and April, and even on rare occasions into May. There are some indications that it may turn cooler again as we head into early March.

(Did we mention that Red Sox Opening Day is 6 weeks from today?)

Weekly Outlook: February 6-12, 2017

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All is right in the world again. Image provided by Associated Press.

Well, looks like there’s going to be yet another parade in the City of Boston. It also looks like Mayor Marty Walsh didn’t consult with any meteorologists before announcing it, because the weather on Tuesday at 11am doesn’t look pretty at all. But Tuesday’s not the only day we need to worry about, there’s also Thursday (which could be a bigger threat) along with Saturday and Sunday. So, let’s get right to it.

The week starts off with high pressure on Monday, giving us some sunshine, but cooler temperatures. By Tuesday, low pressure starts heading into the Great Lakes, with a warm front extending eastward. As is typical of this time of year, the warm front will have a hard time moving northward, which will create a mess across inland areas, as cold air remains trapped at the surface while warmer air moves in aloft.From Boston southward, this will be mainly a rain storm, with some snow possible at the start Tuesday morning. Inland though, especially north and west of 495, it’ll be a much different story. Accumulating snow is likely, which a change to sleet and freezing rain Tuesday evening, The wintry mix may continue through much of the overnight, especially across southern NH, before the warmer air finally moves in Wednesday morning, allowing a change to plain rain before it ends around midday. We’re not looking at a lot snow, mainly 1-3″ in most spots, maybe a little more into southern NH, but the sleet and freezing rain could make for some slippery travel Tuesday night. If you’re heading in for the parade, expect some snow changing to rain, gusty easterly winds, and temperatures in the middle 30s.

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Snowfall forecast through Wednesday afternoon from the NAM model. Image provided by Pivotal Weather.

Once that storm moves out, we turn our eyes to the south for Thursday. Most of the models show a storm system moving off the Southeast coast and heading northeastward. Most of the models also have it passing close enough to spread some snow into at least southern New England. The question is, how close does it get? That could mean the difference between a few inches from Boston southward (as some models show), , 3-6″ across most of eastern New England as another model shows, or a widespread 6-12″ across the entire region, as another model is currently showing. For now, we’re going to lean towards the lighter side, but we’ll have to keep a close eye on the models for the next few days to see which way they are trending. As usual, if it looks like a threat, we’ll write another post about it.

Once that system goes by, then high pressure builds in for Friday with much colder conditions, but an Alberta Clipper will head our way for Saturday. This will bring in some light snow, but shouldn’t be a big storm. Another system quickly moves out of the Great Lakes behind that one for Sunday, but this one looks warmer, with more rain than snow. However, it’s nearly a week away, so a lot can and will change, and we’ll need to keep an eye on this one too.

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Sick of winter already? Today is Red Sox Truck Day! Spring training isn’t far behind. Image provided by Boston Herald.

Monday: Plenty of sunshine to start, clouds start to move in during the afternoon. High 28-35.

Monday night: Becoming cloudy, some flurries or freezing drizzle are possible. Low 21-28 in the evening, then temperatures hold steady or slowly rise overnight.

Tuesday: Snow developing, quickly changing to rain from Boston southward, gradually changing to a mix of sleet and freezing rain north and west of Boston late in the day. High 29-36 north and west of I-95, 36-43 south and east of I-95.

Tuesday night: Freezing rain continues across southern NH, changing to plain rain close to daybreak, elsewhere, light rain is expected overnight. Temperatures slowly rise across the region.

Wednesday: Showers ending around midday, otherwise remaining mostly cloudy. High 41-48 north and west of I-95, 48-55 south and east of I-95.

Thursday: Cloudy with a chance of snow. High 26-33.

Friday: A mix of sun and clouds, chance for a few snow showers. High 18-25.

Saturday: Cloudy with a chance for some light snow, possibly changing to rain across Cape Cod and the South Coast. High 30-37.

Sunday: Cloudy with a chance of rain or snow. High 32-39.