C-19 Chat Post – November 7 2020

DAYS 1-5 (NOVEMBER 6-10)

Discussion…

While I don’t want to sound too repetitive, people like to hear about good weather, especially in what is statistically the cloudiest month of the year and typically much cooler than we’ll see over this 5-day period. As high pressure continues to dominate, we’ll have plenty of fair and mild to warm weather. I still feel Sunday will be the coolest day overall as we open the door for an ocean breeze. Despite this very mild spell, however, not many record temperatures are threatened, as many of those are several degrees higher than the potential high temperatures we will be seeing. Nevertheless, a great stretch of November weather – enjoy if you can!

Details…

TODAY: Clouds dominant this morning, sunshine taking over for afternoon. Highs 63-70. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

TONIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 46-53. Wind SW up to 10 MPH.

SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 65-72. Wind W 5-15 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Clear. Patchy ground fog interior lower elevations. Lows 45-52. Wind calm.

SUNDAY: Sunny. Highs 64-71 but turning cooler in coastal areas in the afternoon. Wind calm to variable under 10 MPH, then developing sea breezes coastal areas.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 45-52. Wind variable to SW up to 10 MPH.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 66-73. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

MONDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 47-54. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

TUESDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 68-75. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (NOVEMBER 11-15)

The long stretch of dry/mild weather comes to an end for this period with the passage of a cold front on Veterans Day November 11, bringing cloudiness and a chance of rain showers. That day itself will still be quite mild and may be the only day that Boston has a shot at setting a record high (which stand at 69). That front settles just to the south of the region and areas of low pressure may be close enough to bring some additional episodes of unsettled weather during the remainder of the period with temperatures close to seasonable levels for this time of year.

DAYS 11-15 (NOVEMBER 16-20)

This is a lower-than-average confidence period for forecasting with questionable model performance, and a few unknowns regarding tropical moisture connections, but for now the thought progress is a transition to a more zonal pattern starting with a brief cool down, then a quick warm-up, some rain showers but no big storm, then a cooler/drier finish to the period. There will be a lot of fine-tuning in forecasts beyond a few days in advance. So always remember to take more extended outlooks just as a guide to what may take place, knowing there can be significant changes (hopefully not daily!).

C-19 Chat Post – November 6 2020

DAYS 1-5 (NOVEMBER 5-9)

Discussion…

High pressure will be in control of the weather for many days to come. A weak plume of tropical moisture will bring some lower clouds at times to the South Coast region today through early Friday, and mid and high level cloudiness from a weakening trough will pass by tonight and early Friday. Other than a generally warm west to southwest air flow many of these days, we’ll have a lighter pressure gradient between 2 high pressure areas Sunday which will allow for a cooler ocean breeze to develop especially in eastern areas, making that a cooler day.

Details…

TODAY: Mostly sunny except partly sunny near the South Coast. Highs 59-66. Wind SW up to 5-15 MPH.

TONIGHT: Partly to mostly cloudy. Lows 45-52. Wind SW under up to 10 MPH.

FRIDAY: Lots of clouds early, then sunshine. Highs 62-69. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 40-47. Wind W up to 10 MPH.

SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 65-72. Wind W 5-15 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Clear. Patchy ground fog interior lower elevations. Lows 45-52. Wind calm.

SUNDAY: Sunny. Highs 64-71 but turning cooler in coastal areas in the afternoon. Wind calm to variable under 10 MPH, then developing sea breezes coastal areas.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 45-52. Wind variable to SW up to 10 MPH.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 66-73. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (NOVEMBER 10-14)

The November warm spell continues into Veterans Day (November 11) with dry weather the day before and a chance of rain showers on the holiday as a cold front moves through the region. This will put an end to the unseasonable warmth and bring temperatures back toward seasonable levels for the balance of the period. We will have to watch for low pressure south of the region around November 12-14 with an unsettled weather threat.

DAYS 11-15 (NOVEMBER 15-19)

This 5-day period may feature a couple bouts of unsettled weather as we’re in a southwesterly air flow and near the boundary of very mild air near the East Coast and colder air pushing into the Midwest. Much fine-tuning needed. Higher wet weather threats focused around November 15 & 17.

C-19 Chat Post – November 5 2020

DAYS 1-5 (NOVEMBER 4-8)

Discussion…

A warm front is passing by now, and this opens the door for days of mild to warm & dry November weather as high pressure dominates. The remains of a trough coming through the region will probably bring us some cloudiness for the first part of Friday, but after the early clouds in eastern areas with the warm front today, and that minor interruption, we’ll be seeing lots of sunshine during the shortening daylights. Most of the time we’ll be in a fair warm west to southwest air flow, but a bubble of high pressure in eastern Canada should be strong enough to weaken the wind field as there is a boundary between it and high pressure to the south, and this should open the door for a slightly cooler sea breeze to develop Sunday. A sea breeze is less common in autumn than spring, but if we get warm enough land at this time of year we will get one to develop under these conditions. So that will basically be the most exciting weather to track over the next 5 days.

Details…

TODAY: Early clouds, then mostly sunny. Highs 48-55. Wind WSW 5-15 MPH.

TONIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 33-40. Wind SW up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 59-66. Wind SW up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy. Lows 40-47. Wind SW under 10 MPH.

FRIDAY: Lots of clouds early, then sunshine. Highs 60-67. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 40-47. Wind W up to 10 MPH.

SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 65-72. Wind W 5-15 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Clear. Patchy ground fog interior lower elevations. Lows 45-52. Wind calm.

SUNDAY: Sunny. Highs 64-71 but turning cooler in coastal areas in the afternoon. Wind calm to variable under 10 MPH, then developing sea breezes coastal areas.

DAYS 6-10 (NOVEMBER 9-13)

The mild/tranquil pattern continues November 9-10 as high pressure rules. Finally a front from the west brings the chance of rain showers November 11 and may settle just south of the region with additional low pressure bringing unsettled weather for the remainder of this forecast period along with somewhat cooler air. Only low to moderate confidence for this scenario.

DAYS 11-15 (NOVEMBER 14-18)

This 5-day period may feature a couple bouts of unsettled weather as we’re in a southwesterly air flow and near the boundary of very mild air near the East Coast and colder air pushing into the Midwest. Much fine-tuning needed.

C-19 Chat Post – November 4 2020

DAYS 1-5 (NOVEMBER 3-7)

Discussion…

A few rain and snow showers start the day in southeastern sections (further south than I expected originally) but these will not cause any significant travel issues and will be gone in short order, leaving the region with a breezy, but bright Election Day. If you are in-person voting, dress for the chill because you’ll feel it. But this is the end of the colder weather for quite some time as we are flipping the weather pattern and will see the cold air make a return to the western US while here in the eastern US we warm up. This will be due to a fairly stable pattern of large scale low pressure in the West and a large ridge of high pressure dominating the East.

Details…

TODAY: Lots of clouds and passing rain/snow showers southeastern MA and RI early, then mostly sunny. Highs 38-45. Wind NW 10-20 MPH, gusts 25-35 MPH.

TONIGHT: Mostly clear evening. Clouding up overnight. Lows 22-29. Wind W under 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY: Early clouds, then mostly sunny. Highs 48-55. Wind WSW 5-15 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 33-40. Wind SW up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 58-65. Wind SW up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy. Lows 40-47. Wind SW under 10 MPH.

FRIDAY: Partly cloudy. Highs 60-67. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 40-47. Wind W up to 10 MPH.

SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 65-72. Wind W 5-15 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (NOVEMBER 8-12)

High pressure will be dominant with dry weather through November 10. Temperatures may cool very slightly November 8 before warming again, but will average above to much above normal. A cold front will be due about November 11 (Veterans Day) with some rain showers and an end to the warm spell, and low pressure may come along as this front sits just south of the region with at least cloudiness and possibly some precipitation at the end of this period.

DAYS 11-15 (NOVEMBER 13-17)

Unsettled weather potential early in the period as a frontal boundary pushes back to the north then low pressure drags another front through from the west to bring a surge of cooler/drier weather mid period before a late-period warm-up.

C-19 Chat Post – November 3 2020

DAYS 1-5 (NOVEMBER 2-6)

Discussion…

This week starts off with a shot of modified arctic air. You’ll feel it today, especially with winds from the northwest that will gust in the 35-45 MPH range, making temperatures around 40 feel more like they are near 32. The gusty wind is also likely to take down some weakened tree limbs and maybe even a few older whole trees, resulting in isolated to scattered power outages. Please use caution if walking and/or driving especially near trees. Tonight, a disturbance crosses the region with a few snow showers, except rain or snow showers southeastern MA and RI, and even a heavier snow squall may occur, especially north of Boston. This will usher one more surge of wind and cold into the region for Election Day Tuesday. If you are heading out to the polls, be ready for some additional wind and quite chilly air, although the wind will not be as strong as it will be today, and it will also turn out sunnier than today will be. And then things change when we get to midweek. A warm front will scoot through the region with little fanfare except for some cloudiness early Wednesday, and as high pressure takes up residence south of New England we’ll find ourselves in a mild pattern for the remainder of the week. The remains of a disturbance may bring a few more cloudiness to the region early Friday.

Details…

TODAY: Sun and clouds. A passing shower of rain, sleet, and snow possible. Highs 37-44. Wind NW 15-25 MPH, gusts 35-45 MPH.

TONIGHT: Variably cloudy. Passing snow showers, except rain/mix/snow showers southeastern MA / RI. A brief heavier snow squall possible mainly northern MA and southern NH with a small accumulation possible. Lows 27-33. Wind W 10-20 MPH with gusts over 30 MPH.

TUESDAY: Early clouds and a possible snow shower, then partly to mostly sunny. Highs 38-45. Wind NW 10-20 MPH with higher gusts, diminishing late.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear evening. Increasing clouds overnight. Lows 22-29. Wind W under 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY: Early clouds, then mostly sunny. Highs 48-55. Wind WSW 5-15 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows 33-40. Wind SW up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 58-65. Wind SW up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy. Lows 40-47. Wind SW under 10 MPH.

FRIDAY: Partly cloudy. Highs 60-67. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (NOVEMBER 7-11)

High pressure will continue its dominance, with above normal temperatures. November 8-9 may end up slightly cooler than the other days due to a wind shift from a high pressure area to the north not well-forecast by guidance at this time. Previous thinking was that a cold front may arrive November 10 with a rain shower risk, but that currently looks more like the end of this period.

DAYS 11-15 (NOVEMBER 12-16)

Watch for a period of unsettled weather around November 12-13 as a front may settle just south of the region with a wave of 2 of low pressure on it. Generally fair weather and possibly another push of cold air follows this.

C-19 Chat Post – November 2 2020

COMMENTARY

Once up a blue moon, we have a white Halloween. Well… Now that Halloween and the month of October have come and gone, it’s onto November, the penultimate month of 2020, and despite the oddities and trials the year has given us, there is still weather every day, still people that need to travel, so it’s time to look ahead at the first half of this month, starting with the first 5 days in this section, as well as a quick teaser that I have a “Retrovember” treat for the blog starting as soon as I finish the update, i.e., a switch back to the original format of the blog that was used from its birth to earlier this year. WHW turns 10 years old at the end of the year, so I thought it would be fun to do something like that.

DAYS 1-5 (NOVEMBER 1-5)

Discussion…

A warmer southerly air flow is now in place across the region. But as of 8:00 a.m. there’s quite a temperature contrast across the region, ranging from near freezing in some interior sections of MA and southern NH to the middle 50s on Cape Cod. Temperatures will become more uniform as the day goes on and the southerly wind exerts its influence on those colder areas. A weak disturbance will bring some rain showers to Cape Cod and a few others may pop up over southeastern MA this morning. An approaching cold front will interact with the moisture ahead of it and produce a widespread area of rain showers which will move in from southwest to northeast toward day’s end. With sunset now just after 4:30 p.m., we will get through most of our short daylight rain-free, but it becomes quite wet this evening as these showers move through, with enough instability that even a rumble of thunder may occur in some areas. The cold front pushes through overnight and offshore by Monday morning, and Monday will be a “cold-advection” day in which the temperature really doesn’t go anywhere after its initial fall behind the cold front, as the sun (mixed with clouds) tries to warm the air, cold air will be coming in. But what you will really notice Monday is the wind. Low pressure moving away will become quite strong while a significant high pressure area moves into the Great Lakes region and the pressure difference between these will be rather significant, creating a northwest air flow that will produce wind gusts in excess of 40 MPH. This will likely result in some tree damage and isolated to scattered power outages. The wind will continue into Monday night as a disturbance moves through, and this may produce some snow showers and even a snow squall in a few locations, into the first few hours of Tuesday before it departs, and we end up with a dry, breezy, but cold Election Day. High pressure moves overhead Tuesday night for a clear, calm, but cold night, and then the high slides offshore Wednesday and we see a significant temperature recovery, which will continue into Thursday as well when many areas reach or exceed 60!

Details…

TODAY: Variably cloudy this morning with a passing shower Cape Cod and possible shower remainder of southeastern MA. Mostly cloudy this afternoon with numerous rain showers arriving from southwest to northeast late-day. Highs 51-58. Wind S 5-15 MPH.

THIS EVENING (THROUGH MIDNIGHT): Cloudy with numerous rain showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms. Temperatures in the 50s. Wind S 5-15 MPH, higher gusts.

OVERNIGHT: Breaking clouds. Temperatures falling to near 40. Wind W 5-15 MPH, higher gusts.

MONDAY: Variably cloudy. Passing rain or snow showers. Temperatures steady around 40. Wind W 10-20 MPH, higher gusts.

MONDAY NIGHT: Variably cloudy. Passing snow showers. Slight chance of a snow squall. Minor snow accumulation possible. Lows 27-34. Wind NW 10-20 MPH, higher gusts.

TUESDAY: Variably cloudy with a risk of a passing snow shower early morning, then mostly sunny. Highs 37-44. Wind NW 10-20 MPH, higher gusts, diminishing during the afternoon.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Clear. Lows 18-25 except 25-32 immediate coast and urban areas. Wind calm.

WEDNESDAY: Sunny. Highs 50-57. Wind W to SW 5-15 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Clear. Lows 40-47. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 58-65. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (NOVEMBER 6-10)

Dry weather will be dominant through November 9 at least, starting out with above normal temperatures November 6-7 as high pressure to the south is dominant, then a frontal boundary sneaks through and high pressure to the north dominates with cooler weather November 7-8. Uncertainty for the end of the period but current indications are for a warm-up but also the potential for some wet weather arriving November 10 ahead of a cold front from the west. At day 10 though, low confidence on this.

DAYS 11-15 (NOVEMBER 11-15)

Cooler / colder air may move back in and we’ll have to watch moisture to the south during the middle of this period for potential impact here.

C-19 Chat Post – November 1 2020

DAYS 1-5 (OCTOBER 31 – NOVEMBER 4)

Discussion…

A rare sight greeted early risers today in a good portion of the WHW forecast area: snow covered landscape, much of it still foliated. We’re used to seeing this with some of the late foliage like oaks, or evergreen type trees, but it’s rare to see that much snow on trees with colorful leaves that haven’t dropped them yet, and that’s exactly what we had. I was fortunate enough to take a walk at a local pond this morning to witness some of this close-up, and photograph some of it (although poor planning meant that I not only ran out of storage space, but battery too, before the end of my walk – oops, about as good as my forecast was for yesterday’s storm, but that’s life!) … Now, as the sun warms the landscape enough today to rid the trees of the snow, and more leaves come down with that, we will only recover to the 40s as a chilly high pressure area moves overhead, but this is good news for any cities and towns holding trick or treating this evening, as winds will be light despite the chill. Last year, if you recall, it was very mild, but also quite windy, and showery in some locations. Tonight will have 2 distinctive parts to it. This evening, we’ll see quick radiational cooling especially where snow remains on the ground under a mostly clear sky with just some high clouds streaming in above, decorative for the rising full Halloween moon, a blue moon (the second full moon of the month, not actually blue), also known as the full Hunter’s moon. Our low temperatures will be reached before midnight. During the overnight hours, a southerly air flow will strengthen and we’ll not only have increasing high & mid level clouds with the a warm front coming toward the region but we’ll have lower clouds coming up via the waters just south of New England, and the temperature will rise gradually. Also, don’t forget, tonight is the night we turn the clocks back, ending Daylight Savings Time and going back to Standard Time, technically occurring at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. So remember to change any clocks that do not automatically adjust! You get the extra hour of sleep if you want it, but our sunset will also occur before 5 p.m. after today onward into early 2021. Back to the weather… A disturbance moving north northeastward may bring a few rain showers to southeastern MA around dawn to about mid morning on Sunday, but the majority of Sunday morning and the first half of the afternoon will just feature a lot of clouds but not really any rainfall. Later in the day though, as a strong cold front approaches from the west, there should be a decent swath of showers, and even the risk of some embedded thunder, moving in from the west, that will cross the region during the evening before pushing offshore overnight. This will introduce a much colder air mass on Monday, of arctic origin although somewhat modified. Nevertheless, Monday is going to be a windy and cold day with some sun but also a fair amount of passing clouds, and some of these clouds may produce a rain or snow shower. Later Monday night into the early hours of Tuesday (to around dawn), another disturbance will move through the area from northwest to southeast, producing a few snow showers, and maybe even a brief snow squall. This will reinforce our cold air for Election Day Tuesday. If you have doing in-person voting, expect a breezy, bright, but chilly day with temperatures in the 30s much of the time (peaking in the lower 40s for some areas). There will, even be some wind chill making it feel colder. Tuesday night will be a cold one with high pressure moving overhead, but Wednesday, after a cold start, we’ll see a nice temperature recovery as the high center shifts to the southeast and a west to southwest wind develops, bringing air from a milder source region into our area.

Details…

TODAY: 100% sunshine. Highs 42-49. Wind variable up to 10 MPH.

THIS EVENING (SUNSET TO ABOUT MIDNIGHT): Mostly clear to partly cloudy. Lows 28-35. Wind S under 10 MPH.

TONIGHT (OVERNIGHT): Partly to mostly cloudy. Temperature rising through the 30s. Wind S 5-15 MPH.

SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain showers southeastern MA and RI until about mid morning. Numerous rain showers arriving west to east by late in the day. Highs 51-58. Wind S 5-15 MPH.

SUNDAY EVENING (THROUGH MIDNIGHT): Cloudy with numerous rain showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms. Temperatures in the 50s. Wind S 5-15 MPH, higher gusts.

SUNDAY OVERNIGHT: Breaking clouds. Temperatures falling to near 40. Wind W 5-15 MPH, higher gusts.

MONDAY: Variably cloudy. Passing rain or snow showers. Temperatures steady around 40. Wind W 10-20 MPH, higher gusts.

MONDAY NIGHT: Variably cloudy. Passing snow showers. Slight chance of a snow squall. Lows 27-34. Wind NW 10-20 MPH, higher gusts.

TUESDAY: Variably cloudy with a risk of a passing snow shower early morning, then mostly sunny. Highs 37-44. Wind NW 10-20 MPH, higher gusts, diminishing during the afternoon.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Clear. Lows 18-25 except 25-32 immediate coast and urban areas. Wind calm.

WEDNESDAY: Sunny. Highs 50-57. Wind W to SW 5-15 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (NOVEMBER 5-9)

This period looks mainly dry, but temperatures are going to be dependent on wind direction and whether high pressure to the south of New England or in eastern Canada has a stronger influence. Currently I expect us to be influenced by high pressure to the south with above normal temperatures November 5-7, then high pressure from Canada with a cooler November 8-9.

DAYS 11-15 (NOVEMBER 10-14)

Lower confidence in what happens during this period. Looks like a brief warm up, rain showers, then a chill-down through Veterans Day, a possible wave of low pressure with rain/mix/snow threat around November 12-13, then dry weather to end the period. A lot of uncertainty here so don’t put too much stock in this outlook right now.

C-19 Chat Post – October 31 2020