1:00 AM

Boston Area Forecast

TODAY… Cloudy with rain developing during the morning, peaking in the middle of the day, ending during the afternoon. Breaks in the clouds and even a little sun is possible by the early evening hours. High in the upper 40s. Wind SE to S 5 to 15 mph.

TONIGHT… Clearing. Low 32 to 37. Wind W 5 to 15 mph.

THURSDAY… Mostly sunny. High 55 to 60. Wind SW 10 to 20 mph.

THURSDAY NIGHT… Partly cloudy. Low 4o to 45. Wind SW 5 to 15 mph.

FRIDAY… Mostly cloudy. High 60 to 65. Wind SW 10 to 20 mph.

SATURDAY… Partly sunny. High in the lower 50s.

SUNDAY… Mostly sunny. High in the middle 40s.

915PM (original) / 1215AM update to remove TONIGHT portion & tweak MONDAY and also add a note about visible planets…

Well it’s that time again. Another week over. Another about to begin. And time to take a look at the weather for the next 7 days.

The weather pattern this week is fairly straightforward, with a fast-flowing jet stream bringing a few disturbances across the region. These should come through Monday (an upper level system with cold air aloft causing lots of clouds), Wednesday (a low pressure area from the southwest with a period of rain), and Friday (a low pressure area passing north of the area and dragging a cold front through with clouds and a chance of showers). High pressure will dominate Tuesday & Thursday with fair weather for the Ides & St. Patrick’s Day. An early peek at next weekend indicates high pressure building in with dry, chilly weather, with a windy start Saturday and a more tranquil Sunday.

NOTE: If the sky clears early enough Monday evening, looking to the west about 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes after sunset you will be able to see Jupiter & Mercury. Mercury will be to the lower right of the easily-spotted brighter Jupiter. You need to be able to see lower to the horizon to observe Mercury. Binoculars will help. Hopefully the clouds will get out of here in time.

The details for the Boston area…

MONDAY: Sun mixed with clouds, most sun through late morning, more clouds in the afternoon with there is a very slight chance of an isolated rain or snow shower. Sun may increase by the 600PM hour just prior to the 649PM sunset. High in the lower 40s. Wind N 5 to 15 mph.

MONDAY NIGHT: Clearing. Low in the lower 20s inland valleys to the upper 20s coast. Wind NW to W under 10 mph.

TUESDAY: Sunny. High in the middle to upper 40s. Wind light variable.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Increasing clouds. Low in the middle 30s. Wind S under 10 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy. Chance of light rain in the morning, may begin as light snow inland. Steadier rain in the afternoon. High in the middle 40s. Wind SE 5 to 15 mph.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with rain ending early, followed by clearing. Low in the middle 30s. Wind W 5 to 15 mph.

THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. High in the middle 50s. Wind W 5 to 15 mph.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy. Low in the upper 30s to lower 40s. Wind SW 10 to 15 mph.

FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain showers. High in the upper 50s. Wind SW 15 to 25 mph.

SATURDAY: Partly cloudy & windy. High in the middle 40s.

SUNDAY: Mostly sunny. High in the upper 40s.

850PM

TONIGHT: Cloudy.  Slight chance of very light snow though most areas will remain dry. Low 30 to 35.  Wind east 10 to 20 mph.

THURSDAY: Cloudy. Slight chance of very light snow in the morning. Slight chance of very light rain in the afternoon. High 40 to 45. Wind east 10 to 20 mph gusting to 30 mph.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. Rain developing. Temperature steady 40 to 45. Wind southeast 10 to 20 mph with gusts around 30 mph.

FRIDAY: Cloudy. Periods of rain. High 45 to 50. Wind east 10 to 15 mph shifting to south late.

SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy. Scattered rain showers. High in the lower 50s.

SUNDAY: Partly sunny. Isolated rain showers. High in the upper 40s.

1200AM

Windy/colder weather swept into the Boston area Monday afternoon & night as the storm that produced some heavy rain departed the region. Heavy snow/sleet/ice was confined to extreme western New England and a good portion of northern New England. Areas of flooding were reported in western and parts of central MA as heavy rain combined with melting snow. Around dawn on Monday, temperatures ranged from the middle 20s in the Berkshires to the lower 50s in Boston. The warmer air is long gone, and the entire region was cold, clear, & windy by Monday evening.

High pressure will build across the region today with dry & chilly weather. This high will move offshore on Wednesday, allowing clouds to begin moving in ahead of the next storm. This system will likely take a track west of New England Thursday with waves of low pressure developing along a slowly advancing frontal boundary Thursday night into Friday. The setup may be similar to the one we just went through, with heaviest precipitation in western and northern New England, including some snow/ice. Rain is more likely further east and south, including the Boston area.

Looking ahead, a couple of weak weather systems will bring some lingering unsettled weather for the upcoming weekend, though major storminess is not expected.

Boston area forecast…

TODAY: Mostly sunny. High in the lower 40s. Wind north 5 to 15 mph.

TONIGHT: Mostly clear.  Low ranging from the middle teens inland valley areas to the middle 20s along the coast. Wind light variable.

WEDNESDAY: Increasing clouds. High in the upper 30s. Wind east up to 10 mph.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Low in the lower 30s. Wind east up to 10 mph.

THURSDAY: Cloudy. High in the lower 40s. Wind southeast up to 10 mph.

FRIDAY: Rain likely. High in the 40s.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY: Chance of rain & snow showers. Highs in the upper 30s to lower 40s.

747PM

After a week of up and down temperatures (a mild start, a cold middle – upper 20s Thursday, and a mild end – 50s-lower 60s this weekend), what is in store for tonight & the coming week? Read on to find out!

TONIGHT: Steadiest rain falling well outside Route 495 at this time will slowly move eastward into the Boston area, but the heaviest will not likely occur in the Boston Metro area until after midnight. Only scattered showers are expected in the Boston area during the next several hours, though a few of them may be briefly moderate to heavy. Thunder is possible during the overnight hours. It will slowly cool from the lower 50s to the upper & middle 40s throughout eastern MA & southern NH. Winds will blow from the southeast to south up to 15 mph though some higher gusts are possible in coastal areas.

The Week Ahead…

Low pressure will cross the area from southwest to northeast during Monday morning with one final burst of rain and possible thunder early. As it moves away, wrap-around moisture will hold clouds in for much of the day along with scattered rain showers changing to showers of sleet & snow as colder air works in. Even though far western and especially northern New England will see major snow accumulation out of this system tonight & early Monday, I don’t expect any accumulation of sleet or snow in the Boston area, other than a short-lived dusting of snow in a few locations. It will simply be too late to get enough precipitation once the cold air is in place.

High pressure building eastward will result in dry but chilly weather Monday night through Wednesday. The next storm system will approach on Thursday, but some signs suggest the onset of this system may be very slow and not occur til Thursday night or Friday. Odds favor rain from this system at this time. Looking into next weekend, it looks cool and possibly unsettled. We’ll have to see how a few areas of energy heading through the Great Lakes & Northeast interact with each other.

Detailed forecast…

MONDAY: Rain & possible thunder especially north of Boston early. Mostly cloudy for the remainder of the day with scattered rain showers, changing to showers of sleet & snow from west to east during the afternoon. Little or no accumulation of sleet & snow expected. Temperature falling slowly through the 40s through early afternoon, then into the upper to middle 30s mid through late afternoon. Wind south 10 to 20 mph, shifting to northwest with gusts as high as 30 mph.

MONDAY NIGHT: Clearing. Low 20 to 25. Wind north 10 to 15 mph.

TUESDAY: Mostly sunny. High 40 to 45. Wind north 10 to 20 mph.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Clear. Low 15 to 20 inland, 20 to 25 coast. Wind north 5 to 15 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. High 43 to 48. Wind variable up to 10 mph.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy. Low 25 to 30. Wind light variable.

THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. High in the 40s.

FRIDAY: Chance of rain. High in the 40s.

430PM

The changeable La Nina weather pattern continues, and shows no signs of breaking down. Nothing is locked in. Temperatures go up and down, frequent weather systems visit, but nothing hangs around for very long. At the moment I suppose this is a good thing, because we’re still not seeing prolonged rain events which would lead to major flooding. Our heavier rains have been brief and have not had a chance to really kick off significant problems.

A cold but sunny Thursday is winding down, but a very cold night is ahead. As winds drop off and high pressure moves overhead, a mostly clear sky will provide excellent radiational cooling conditions, and the temperature will plunge. For anyone unfamiliar with the term “radiational cooling”, it refers to the warmth at the ground radiating upward back up, since warmer air rises. This takes place easily on clear, calm, dry nights, and even more efficiently when snowcover is present.

The next weather change will already be underway as Friday dawns. It will still be a chilly day, though not as cold as today was. But clouds will advance after some sunshine to start the day. This will be ahead of warmer air moving in, which will do so above us first. Before it makes it in at the surface, a period of snow or snow showers may occur on Friday night. Clouds will dominate Saturday, but precipitation is expected to be hard to find, other than perhaps a rain or snow shower early in the day. Warmer air will move in during the day. A mild Saturday night is expected, and a very mild day on Sunday will start dry but end wet, as a slow-moving cold front approaches from the west, with a couple waves of low pressure on it. This front will move across the region Sunday night into Monday, and one final wave of low pressure on Monday will likely cause a period of significant rain. I do not expect major flooding from this, as the heaviest rain should last only several hours in any one location, and may occur in the areas where there is less snow on the ground (southeastern MA & RI). I’ll fine-tune this as it gets closer. With colder air coming in at that time, we also have to watch for a possible switch to mix or snow before the Monday storm is over.

Looking ahead…

Dry & chilly weather is expected to return Tuesday into Wednesday of next week, with the next storm system due about Thursday. Early indications are that this will be a mild storm, with rain.

Boston Area Forecast…

TONIGHT: Mostly clear and very cold. Low ranging from around 5 over inland valleys to near 15 in the urban centers and along the immediate coast. A few deeper valleys may approach zero! Wind NW diminishing to under 10 mph then becoming calm.

FRIDAY: Increasing clouds. High 33 to 38. Wind light southeast.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. A period of light snow is possible but little accumulation is expected. Low 27 to 32 but temperatures may rise back through the 30s overnight. Wind light south shifting to southwest.

SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy. High 45 to 50. Wind southwest 5 to 15 mph.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Low 35 to 40. Wind southwest 5 to 15 mph.

SUNDAY: Cloudy. Rain developing from west to east during the afternoon. High 50 to 55. Wind south southwest increasing to 10 to 20 mph.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. Rain likely. Low 40 to 45.

MONDAY: Cloudy. Rain likely, may mix with or turn to sleet/snow by late in the day. Temperature falling into the 30s.

TUESDAY: Partly cloudy & windy. High in the upper 30s.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. High in the lower 40s.

THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain showers. High in the upper 40s.

100AM

We’ll be riding the temperature roller coaster for the first several days of March. I’m not a great fan of the lamb/lion saying for March, however the month did come in on the lamb side with a breezy but pleasant Tuesday, with lots of sunshine. But as you know, things have been moving along, and rapid weather changes will mark the next several days.

Synopsis…

Wednesday… A brief warmup takes places through early to mid afternoon along with a gusty southwest wind. A strong cold front sweeps across the region later in the afternoon & early at night, bringing the threat of a rain or snow shower, possibly a heavier squall of either rain or snow, or rain changing to snow, and a risk of thunder. This will usher in an arctic airmass later at night, when temperatures will plunge as will wind chills, with strong northwest winds.

Thursday… Bright but bitter. Pure arctic air will dominate as high pressure builds south southeast from Canada. Winds will be gusty to start the day but will settle down later.

Friday… Very cold early as the arctic high pressure slides east of the region. Clouds will advance as a warm front approaches from the southwest. This front may produce a period of snow at night.

Weekend… Much milder! Not totally sunny, but other than spotty precipitation very early Saturday and a chance of rain by late Sunday, the bulk of the weekend will be dry.

Forecast for Boston area…

TODAY: Partly sunny. A passing rain shower after 2PM. High 42 to 47. Wind southwest increasing to 15 to 25 mph with gusts over 30 mph.

TONIGHT: Partly cloudy with a passing rain or snow shower possible early, including a slight risk of briefly heavy precipitation with thunder, followed by clearing, windy, and much colder. Low 10 to 15. Wind shifting to northwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts over 30 mph. Wind chill near zero overnight.

THURSDAY: Sunny. High 20 to 25. Wind northwest 15 to 25 mph in the morning, diminishing in the afternoon.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Clear. Low 5 to 10 inland, 11 to 16 coast and urban centers. Wind light variable.

FRIDAY: Increasing clouds. High 30 to 35. Wind light southeast.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with a period of snow. Low 25 to 30. Wind light east.

SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain or snow showers in the morning. High in the 40s.

SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain late in the day. High in the 50s.