7:30AM

Sufficiently chilled yet? It’s not the Polar Vortex, it’s the Great Lake Monster, or whatever name the media will decide to give the “storm” that caused mammoth snow totals in fairly narrow bands on the lee of the Great Lakes, especially just south of Buffalo NY. To expand on that briefly, most of you know that Great Lakes snow bands are nothing new. This particular setup was just very intense, because of the magnitude of the cold so early in the season (easy to make snow) and the warmth of the water the air was passing over (more available moisture). Add them together and the result is obvious.

So, back to our weather here in southeastern New England. There is not much to add to the previous discussion. We have one cold core moving by today, with a brief and slight moderation coming Thursday as a disturbance pushes a weak warm front through the area in the overnight hours tonight with a few snow showers possible. But as the disturbance passes by to the north, its cold front will quickly sweep through the region with nothing more than a few clouds and an isolated snow shower possible, but more importantly sending another cold core across the area for Friday, along with wind.

The weekend warm-up: Yes, it is going to warm up. You won’t notice it first thing Saturday as it will be quite cold, but during the day, with less wind, moderation will begin, and a few clouds will move in. By Sunday, it will be much milder along with lots of clouds as a more solid southwesterly flow takes over.

Early next week will be mild as well, but with occasional wet weather, as broad low pressure moves through the Great Lakes.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TODAY: Sunny, with high clouds showing up in the west later in the day. Highs in the 30s. Wind SW 10-20 MPH with a few higher gusts.
TONIGHT: Clouding over west to east before midnight, a few snow showers shortly after midnight but most areas dry, then clearing west to east around dawn. Lows in the 20s north and west of Boston but remaining in the 30s to the southeast. Wind SW 10-20 MPH.
THURSDAY: Sunny to partly cloudy. Slight risk of a passing snow shower in a few locations in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 40s. Wind SW 10-20 MPH and gusty.
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 20. High 35.
SATURDAY: Partly cloudy. Low 20. High 40.
SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy. Low 35. High 50.
MONDAY: Cloudy. Chance of rain. Low 45. High 60.
TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 45. High 55.

10:43PM

The next 5 days will feature cold and wind, along with mainly dry weather, as a broad low pressure trough moves slowly eastward across central to eastern Canada and the adjacent US Midwest to Northeast. The only precipitation threats will be from a disturbance moving along in the westerly flow that may deliver some snow showers in the early hours of Thursday, and a few stray lake effect snow showers from the Great Lakes that may survive the long trip over the mountains of NY and western New England – though this is only a slight risk. By the time we get to late in the weekend and the start of next week, a new weather pattern will emerge, and it will be a shift to mild weather.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
OVERNIGHT: Clearing. Temperatures falling from the 50s to near 40 Cape Cod, 40s to near 30 elsewhere except some upper 20s north and west of Boston. Wind W increasing to 15-25 MPH with higher gusts. Watch for icy spots on ground areas that don’t dry quickly enough before freezing up.
TUESDAY: Mostly sunny to partly cloudy. Highs in the 30s. Wind W 15-25 MPH gusting over 30 MPH. Wind chill in the 20s.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows in the 20s. Wind W 15-25 MPH and gusty. Wind chill in the teens.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs in the 30s. Wind W 15-25 MPH gusting over 30 MPH. Wind chill in the 20s.
THURSDAY: Variably cloudy with snow showers early, then sunny. Low 25. High 40.
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 20. High 35.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 18. High 40.
SUNDAY: Partly sunny. Low 30. High 50.
MONDAY: Cloudy. Periods of rain. Low 45. High 60.

11:07PM

The week starts wet, then goes cold, and ends with a milder trend getting underway.

Low pressure will ride up the East Coast Monday but the center of it will likely cut inland and put southeastern MA and RI into a warm sector with lots of wind by late Monday. But any warm air that floods up into that region will not hang around long, for as that low pulls away by early Tuesday, it will drag a cold front through followed by a secondary trough, with lots of wind and a significant temperature drop during Tuesday. The core of this cold will be here on Wednesday, a dry day with well below normal temperature. A disturbance will pass through during Thursday with a few clouds and perhaps a snow shower, but it looks like it will be a fast-moving, moisture-starved system, serving to just reinforce the cold (and more wind) for Friday. Once we reach the weekend, in some ways it may resemble the weekend that’s just ending, with a breezy, bright, cold Saturday, and a milder Sunday with somewhat less sunshine. This will be signaling a significant change in the pattern as we head toward Thanksgiving week, but more will be said about this in the next few days.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
OVERNIGHT: Cloudy. Rain develops, may start as brief snow/ice north central MA and southwestern NH. Midnight to 3AM lows 30-40 from NW to SE with a slight rise in temperature toward dawn. Wind calm then becoming light SE to S.
MONDAY: Overcast. Periods of rain. Patchy fog. Temperatures rising to 45-55, mildest southeastern MA and RI. Wind SE to S 5-15 MPH, gusting over 20 MPH especially southeastern MA and RI.
MONDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with best chance of rain north central MA to south central NH and a few rain showers elsewhere through early evening, then a band of showers and possible thunderstorms sweeping west to east through the region late evening and offshore overnight, clouds breaking as rain ends. Temperatures rising to 55-65 most areas, warmest southeastern MA and RI, into late evening before falling back through the 40s to 30s overnight from west to east. Wind S to SW 10-20 MPH except 20-30 MPH with higher gusts over southeastern MA and RI before shifting to W 15-30 MPH with higher gusts all areas overnight.
TUESDAY: Sun and passing clouds. Highs upper 30s to middle 40s through midday then falling through 30s. Wind W 15-30 MPH with higher gusts.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny and windy. Low 20. High 35.
THURSDAY: Partly cloudy and windy. Passing snow shower? Low 25. High 40.
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny and windy. Low 20. High 35.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 20. High 40.
SUNDAY: Partly sunny. Low 25. High 50.

I’ve weighed all the factors, many of which we can chat about in the comments section. I’ve come up with an educated guess for how the weather will behave during the Winter of 2014-2015 in southeastern New England. I think one of the major players this Winter will be the above normal early snowcover in Siberia, which tends to lead to more periods of negative Arctic Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation. I also think a fairly strong Pacific jet stream, which tends to try to flood the Lower 48 with milder air, will be a factor. A wildcard is the emergence, or lack thereof, of El Nino, which was expected last Winter, but did not show, and is expected still, but has been basically a no-show again. I believe eventually we may sneak into a very weak El Nino episode that may have a very short life span.

Putting all this together with the other indices that are important in determining weather patterns, I have come up with this outlook for the Winter.

Winter overall (December through March): Temperature slightly above normal. Precipitation below normal. Snowfall slightly below normal.

Breakdown by month…

December: Tendency for AO/NAO to be alternating between weakly negative and weakly positive, a bit of a see-saw pattern, stronger Polar jet stream, weaker Subtropical jet stream, and a lack of phasing. Expecting the mildest part of the month, relative to normal, to be the first 10 days, with a colder trend for mid month and a milder trend at month’s end. Temperature near to slightly above normal. Precipitation below normal. Snowfall below normal.

January: Strong split flow, dominant Polar jet stream with moderate to strongly negative AO/NAO, but a little weaker than average Subtropical jet stream due to the lack of emergence of El Nino. A milder trend that comes at the end of December continues to early January before a cold pattern takes over. NAO strongly negative enough to result in dry weather rather than stormy weather. Snow would come from fast-moving Polar jet stream short waves. Temperature below normal. Precipitation below normal. Snowfall below normal. This will be the month of the cold outbreaks.

February: AO/NAO starts out with a negative bias then trends more positive. Still a split flow pattern but Subtropical jet becomes more active and Polar jet weakens a little. Phasing of streams, which had been not happening too often, happens a few times and brings an increased risk of storminess, but at the same time less intrusion of Arctic air from Canada. Temperature above normal. Precipitation near to above normal. Snowfall above normal. This will be the month with the greatest risk of major snowfall, despite it being considerably “milder” than January.

March: The pattern of February may spill over into early March but then retrogression sends Winter out West as the East warms and dries ahead of seasonal normal. That means Winter departs quickly in New England. Temperature above normal. Precipitation below normal. Snowfall below normal.

So, how much snow will Boston have this Winter? The average is 44 inches. They have had above normal snowfall during the last 2 Winters. The last time they had 3 consecutive Winters with above normal snowfall? The Winters of 1975-1976, 1976-1977, and 1977-1978. I think this may be a season where some of the excitement comes from watching that number to see if we reach #3 again, but we ultimately fall just short, with 41.1 for Logan Airport, the majority of it coming in the month of February.

That’s my best guess!

8:34AM

The discussion is basically the same as the previous so will leave it that and only add that a very minor surprise this morning was a few stray snow showers surviving all the way from the Great Lakes to the southwestern suburbs of Boston – no accumulation, only a few flakes in the air.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TODAY: Clouds and a very light snow shower southwest of Boston into mid morning, otherwise mostly sunny. Highs 35-42, coldest in higher elevations inland. Wind NW 5-15 MPH with higher gusts, shifting to W.
TONIGHT: Mostly clear evening. Mostly cloudy overnight. Lows 25-32 by midnight, may rise slightly later. Wind W under 10 MPH shifting to SW.
SUNDAY: Lots of clouds with a very slight chance of a few snow flakes morning, then partial sun by afternoon. Highs 43-50, mildest southwest of Boston. Wind SW 5-15 MPH with higher gusts.
MONDAY: Cloudy. Periods of rain, some mix possible well inland. Low 35. High 45.
TUESDAY: Sun and clouds. Rain or snow shower late day? Low 30. High 45.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 25. High 35.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 20. High 40.
FRIDAY: Sun and high clouds. Low 25. High 40.

7:33AM

Not a blast, but a slow easing into the coldest air of the season so far, which you still must wait until later Tuesday to see arrive. Still not a whole lot of change to the forecasts previously posted. Here though I can offer you a little more detail regarding the coming weekend. First, we get rid of the small rain to snow event, which as of the time of this writing, is basically over everywhere except rain drops and a few snow flakes on Cape Cod. Where snow did accumulate, we saw generally a coating to an inch or so, mainly on unpaved surfaces. That will melt today as the sun returns and the ground is still relatively warm. The day will turn mostly sunny as dry air moves in and the developing storm moves away. It will be chilly, but not too cold, though the breeze that develops will give the air a nip. Look for a cold night tonight under a clear sky and active breeze. The weekend will be a bit of a split, with lots of sunshine Saturday as high pressure dominates, though still breezy as there is a squeeze between high pressure centered to the southwest and low pressure more intense but far away to the northeast, and then expect a period of cloudiness and perhaps an isolated snow shower as warmer air moves in aloft. The cloudiness may actually decrease a little bit later in the day. Things are still looking the same for the first half of next week, unsettled Monday as low pressure rides up the East Coast but bringing mild enough air for a mainly rain event (still watching for some mix inland), then the coldest air of the season so far by later Tuesday and especially Wednesday, into Thursday.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TODAY: Clearing by late morning then mostly sunny. Highs in the 40s. Wind NW 10-20 MPH and gusty.
TONIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows in the 20s inland, lower 30s coast. Wind NW 5-15 MPH and gusty.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs 40-45. Wind NW 10-20 MPH and gusty.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Clear evening. Increasing clouds overnight. Lows 30-35. Wind light W.
SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of isolated light snow showers through early afternoon. Partly sunny later afternoon. Highs 40-45. Wind variable up to 10 MPH.
MONDAY: Cloudy. Periods of rain, some mix possible well inland. Low 35. High 45.
TUESDAY: Sun/clouds. Snow shower late? Low 35. High 45.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 25. High 35.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 20. High 40.

7:31AM

As a large scale trough centered to the west tries to press eastward at times, colder shots of air will be introduced into southeastern New England. One such shot has already arrived in the wake of yesterday’s mild air. A second shot will arrive early Friday behind a disturbance which will be in the process of rapidly developing as it moves by the area, just offshore, overnight tonight to early Friday. This will bring a period of rain changing to snow, which will not hang around long, but will produce some minor accumulation. The problem: timing. Just enough snow may accumulate on some roads to make for briefly slippery travel for the Friday morning commute. Most of the accumulation from the event will be on unpaved surfaces, where up to an inch or 2 is possible. Most areas will see less than this, and a few higher elevations can see slightly more. By later Friday morning, it’s done and offshore, leaving the remainder of the day brighter, breezy, and chilly. This represents a slightly stronger version of the disturbance than was expected yesterday. Still relatively low-impact, but given time of year and time of day, something we cannot ignore.

The remainder of the outlook is basically unchanged. Dry and chilly Saturday with high pressure to the southwest and low pressure to the northeast of the region, bringing a gusty and chilly breeze across the region. Low pressure approaches later Sunday and then takes most of the day to pass through the region Monday as strung-out energy along a boundary. This still looks like largely a rain event, but some mix/snow cannot be ruled out over some interior areas so it will be watched. By Tuesday and Wednesday, a shot of the coldest air of the season so far is expected, but it may take until later Tuesday to actually arrive behind another front.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TODAY: Sunshine with a few high clouds through midday then increasing high clouds and less sun later. Highs around 50. Wind light W.
TONIGHT: Becoming cloudy. Rain developing west to east late evening, changing to snow west to east overnight, but only mixing Cape Cod. Lows around 30 interior higher elevations, 30s elsewhere. Wind variable to N up to 10 MPH.
FRIDAY: Cloudy start with snow/mix ending west to east by mid morning except later morning Cape Cod. Snow accumulation from traces to a slushy inch Cape Cod and immediate coast, around 1 to possibly 2 inches mainly unpaved surfaces elsewhere, locally over 2 inches in interior higher elevations. Sun/cloud mix remainder of day. Highs around 40. Wind NW 10-20 MPH and gusty.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 25. High 40.
SUNDAY: Partly sunny. Low 25. High 45.
MONDAY: Cloudy. Rain, some mix possible interior. Low 35. High 45.
TUESDAY: Partly cloudy. Low 30. High 45.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 25. High 38.

7:20AM

As the hype-style news stories and headlines go on, we’ll just stick to forecasting and talking about the weather here. I do realize that some very cold air is heading down into parts of the USA and that some rather significant snowfall has already taken places in portions of the northern Plains to far northern Midwest, but this type of thing is not unprecedented, even if it does have a significant impact on the region it occurs. And just because somewhere in the northern Plains got dumped on with over a foot of snow doesn’t automatically mean that exact event is coming right to where you live, despite what many media will push you toward believing. So, what is really most likely to happen here during the next week, and why? Read on…

First, the fog. Temperature and dew point being the same is saturated air and in a situation with calm wind can lead to dense fog, which formed in much of southeastern New England overnight and will slowly dissipate during the day today. The low overcast with it will also try to break up as the day goes on. A storm passing east of the region will be too far away to have any significant impact. Also a cold front will be approaching from the west but will not have a whole lot of moisture to work with, so we’ll be left in the middle with mild and slowly drying air. Just a few rain showers may survive along the front to get into areas mainly north and west of Boston toward the end of the day. Some areas will see more sun than others by later in the day.

Tonight, the front will push through and will bring the first slug of colder air in. Thursday will feel quite a bit cooler than today, and will be. But another trough will cross the region Thursday night with a few snow showers as even colder air comes in, leading to a windy and chilly day Friday with sun and passing clouds.

The weekend will start bright and cool Saturday as high pressure dominates, but a low pressure area will then approach from the southwest later Sunday which will probably start bright, finish cloudy, and turn wet at night. It should be mild enough for mostly rain from the next system, but with colder air very nearby we’ll have to keep an eye on that for changes. The energy from that system should be strung out enough so that Monday will likely be a cloudy and damp day. But by Monday night another push from the west will kick that all out of here and introduce the coldest air of the season so far by Tuesday.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TODAY: Dense fog slowly dissipating with low clouds lingering during the morning and midday. Breaking low clouds with at least partial sun possible this afternoon. Slight chance of showers mainly NW of Boston later in the day. Highs upper 50s to middle 60s. Wind light variable.
TONIGHT: Clearing. Lows in the 30s. Wind W to NW 5-15 MPH.
THURSDAY: Sunny morning. Variably cloudy afternoon. Highs in the 40s. Wind W up to 10 MPH.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Chance of snow showers. Lows around 30. Wind W 5-15 MPH.
FRIDAY: Sun and passing clouds. Highs around 40. Wind NW 10-20 MPH with higher gusts.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 25. High 40.
SUNDAY: Increasing clouds. Chance of rain at night, possibly mix at start. Low 25. High 44.
MONDAY: Cloudy. Periods of rain. Low 35. High 44.
TUESDAY: Sun and clouds. Windy. Low 25. High 38.

7:27AM

Quick forecast update. Full discussion on next post later today.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TODAY – VETERANS DAY: Mostly sunny morning. Partly cloudy afternoon. Highs around 60. Wind light S.
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of drizzle after midnight. Wind light SE.
WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with a slight chance of drizzle and light rain through early afternoon. Mostly cloudy later but with a clearing trend western areas late. Highs in the 50s. Wind NE up to 10 MPH shifting to NW late.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 30. High 47.
FRIDAY: Partly sunny. Chance of snow showers early. Low 30. High 44.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 25. High 40.
SUNDAY: Increasing clouds. Chance of light rain/snow at night. Low 30. High 45.
MONDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain. Low 35. High 45.

4:41PM

A very nice weekend: Chilly and bright Saturday, a bit more cloudiness but milder Sunday. And we have not been attacked by any Polar Vortex yet now have we? 😉

Let’s look ahead now to see what may be in store. That “dreaded” major cold outbreak and Polar Vortex you are again hearing about will be here, in the form of a turn to colder weather at the end of the coming week, that is, colder than the average temperature for this time of year but remembering that the averages are made up of the extremes of temperature recorded on any given date over a period of a few decades. So, in other words, an outbreak of chilly weather in November is not really abnormal at all. This particular pattern was just instigated by a strong typhoon turned extratropcial storm in the Pacific Ocean – again something that actually happens quite often. This one just happens to be a little more pronounced in strength than some have been in the past. Nothing outrageous there either.

So you may ask, “what does this all mean for the weather around here in the coming week?” FUNNY you should ask that, because here’s the answer:

A sliver of high pressure will be in control on Monday as the remains of a weak system to the northwest of the region and offshore moisture and energy push away to the east and northeast. This leaves southeastern New England in the middle, and though there may be some cloudiness to start the day, the sun will take over, and it will be seasonable to mild. A front to the west will star to approach on Tuesday and low pressure forming down the coast on an old frontal boundary will start to push to the north, but both of these systems should remain far enough away so that Tuesday, Veterans Day, is at least partly sunny and on the mild side. The two systems will close in by Wednesday, resulting in a mainly cloudy day, though it is not likely to be very wet as moisture will not be abundant for these systems to work with. Expect only a chance of a little light rain on Wednesday. By Thursday-Friday, the front from the west will push through and it will turn somewhat colder. But the brunt of the cold air with the first real push from the altered weather pattern will actually move more to the east across southern Canada and not come down into New England. An area of energy moving around the base of a trough of low pressure will toss some cloudiness into the region Thursday night into Friday when a few snow showers may occur, as it will likely be cold enough to support snow versus rain. NOT a big storm, so don’t let the word “snow” scare you. The trough passing through on Friday will reinforce the chilly air for next weekend, especially Saturday, which will likely be a windy and cold day, but dry. Sunday should continue on the chilly side, but the weather itself is a little more questionable, depending on the evolution and movement of low pressure and associated moisture to the southwest. It could be a day that starts bright and ends cloudy ahead of an approaching storm system, but at 7 days away, possible outcomes are several. A slower-evolving situation would allow most of the day to be bright versus cloudy.

As a little extra, I can see this leading to a wet weather system about November 17 followed by the coldest air of the season so far around November 18-19. Just something to keep in mind for now.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TONIGHT: Variably cloudy. Lows in the 30s, coldest interior valleys, least cold near the shoreline. Wind W under 10 MPH.
MONDAY: Partly cloudy morning. Sunny afternoon. Highs in the 50s. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.
MONDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows from the middle 30s interior valleys to lower 40s near the shoreline. Wind SW up to 10 MPH.
TUESDAY – VETERANS DAY: Partly cloudy. Highs around 60. Wind S 5-15 MPH.
WEDNESDAY: Cloudy. Chance of drizzle. Slight chance of light rain. Low 40. High 50.
THURSDAY: Partly cloudy. Low 30. High 47.
FRIDAY: Variably cloudy. Slight chance of snow showers especially morning. Low 30. High 43.
SATURDAY: Partly cloudy. Low 25. High 42.
SUNDAY: Partly sunny. Low 28. High 44.

3:40PM

It’s all connected, and sometimes it’s more apparent than other times. You’ve been hearing about how a western Pacific Super Typhoon (Nuri) turning into one of the strongest storms “ever observed” in the Bering Sea (and yes that’s true but we’ve only been “observing” for a short time) will impact the weather in the USA. Yes, this is all true as well, but doesn’t need necessarily to be made to sound like something that never has occurred, never should occur, and who knows if it will occur again. It’s just the Earth’s atmosphere, doing its job, and sometimes its reactions are powerful, other times more subtle.

Ok, enough editorializing, let’s just get to the weather. Well here it is…

Low pressure is pulling away into Canada, and in typical November fashion, we are left with blustery weather in its wake. Lots have clouds have dominated the day Friday with moderate and gusty northwesterly wind, chilly air, and a few sprinkles around after Thursday night’s rain moved away. As this low continues to distance itself from southeastern New England, drier air will flow in overnight, with slackening winds and a clearing sky, setting up cold conditions. Some areas will experience a hard freeze (especially inland suburban valley and rural areas). So, Saturday will start very chilly but the day will also start with plenty of sunshine. This sun will become more limited later in the day as a weak trough approaches from the west. It will be a cool day. The trough will pass by with cloudiness at night and some patchy rain shower activity. Temperatures will not fall that much and it will also be warming aloft so not expecting snow showers. By early Sunday, this trough will be moving offshore and the day will be mostly sunny to partly cloudy and a little milder.

Early next week is still looking the same. Weak high pressure is around Monday which will be fair and cool. High pressure moves offshore, low pressure tracks through the Great Lakes, and a cold front approaches from the west later Tuesday but remains far enough away so that the day should be fair and mild. Weather will be favorable for Veterans Day parades and ceremonies. By Wednesday, the front will be in the region, probably pushing through and slowing down a little so that cloudiness and a risk of rain showers will be present. Later next week, a more amplified trough will swing into the eastern US and will bring at least chilly weather. Will watch for any potential unsettled weather.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TONIGHT: Lots of clouds, isolated sprinkles of rain during the evening. Clearing overnight. Lows 25-35, coldest interior valleys. Wind NW 5-15 MPH gusting to 25 MPH in the evening, diminishing late.
SATURDAY: Lots of sun through midday, less sun later. Highs around 50. Wind W 5-15 MPH.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Isolated rain showers. Lows around 40. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.
SUNDAY: Limited sun very early, then more sunshine. Highs around 55. Wind W 5-15 MPH.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 35. High 49.
TUESDAY: Partly cloudy. Low 37. High 56.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain showers. Low 40. High 49.
THURSDAY: Variably cloudy. Low 37. High 44.
FRIDAY: Variably cloudy. Low 28. High 43.

5:15PM

Weather changes fairly frequently when the jet stream is nearby and this will be the case over the next several days. First, our mild spell of Tuesday and Wednesday is history as a cold front slides through the region. There has been no low level moisture for this front to work with so we’ve just had a lot of high cloudiness blotting out the sun at times Tuesday and especially Wednesday. A sharp clearing line which has been evident in the northwestern sky as seen from eastern MA and nearby areas during Wednesday afternoon will attempt to pass but then move back to the north. This will be because of a low pressure area riding up the front as it aligns itself with the jet stream, leading to a spell of wet weather Thursday afternoon to early Friday. Low pressure will likely pass right over southeastern New England by early Friday. Ahead of it the wind will turn more to the southeast and it will not be as mild on Thursday. Behind it, a stronger, gusty northwesterly wind flow will usher in drier air during Friday, but some cloudiness will likely hang around, including the threat of a shower.

Once we get to the weekend, it looks like the best day will be Saturday as high pressure will be in control. But a couple disturbances will approach Saturday night, one from the Great Lakes, another coming out of the Southeast and Mid Atlantic. It doesn’t look like these 2 areas will get together until they are beyond New England, so expect a minor impact from this system, in the form of clouds and rain showers, probably during the first half of Sunday.

Early next week, expect some cloudiness from a warm front Monday, a mild day ahead of a cold front Tuesday, and a possible unsettled day Wednesday as the front may be slow to clear the region. Colder air is also likely to filter in during Wednesday, but does not look like it will come in as a powerful blast at this time. Something to monitor in the days ahead.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TONIGHT: Clearing tries to push in from the NW then clouds push back to the N. Lows 40-45. Wind W up to 10 MPH dropping to near calm.
THURSDAY: Cloudy. Rain develops south to north during the morning through early afternoon then continues but becomes more showery southern areas late. Slight chance of thunder south of Boston late in the day. Highs 50-55. Wind near calm becoming E 5-15 MPH.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. Widespread rain showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms, diminishing from south to north around midnight. Temperatures steady near 50. Wind SE 5-15 MPH shifting to S and increasing to 10-20 MPH with higher gusts.
FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy with rain showers early morning. Cloud/sun mix remainder of day. Highs 50-55. Wind SW 10-20 MPH early, then NW 15-25 MPH with higher gusts.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 36. High 49.
SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain showers morning. Partly cloudy afternoon. Low 40. High 50.
MONDAY: Partly cloudy. Low 33. High 48.
TUESDAY: Partly sunny. Low 39. High 58.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of light rain AM. Low 38. High 47.

7:34AM

No big changes this update. Cold front swings through today with lots of clouds but no rain. Front comes to a halt just to the southeast then comes back as low pressure moves along it Thursday through early Friday. This low should pass over or just west of southeastern New England by first thing Friday. A rain event results, and some heavy rain may fall Thursday evening. By late Friday, drying, windy, cooler weather is coming back and will lead to a nice Saturday as high pressure dominates. But things are moving right along and the next system brings a rain showers threat later Sunday (still some uncertainty on the overall impact of this system). This should be out of here by early next week with fair and seasonable weather at that time.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TODAY: Mostly cloudy. Highs in the 60s. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Lows around 50. Wind W 5-15 MPH.
THURSDAY: Cloudy. Rain developing midday and afternoon. Highs around 60. Wind variable up to 10 MPH.
FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy with rain showers AM. Partly sunny PM. Low 48. High 56.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 38. High 48.
SUNDAY: Increasing clouds. PM rain showers. Low 37. High 53.
MONDAY: Partly sunny. Low 38. High 49.
TUESDAY: Partly sunny. Low 36. High 53.

7:37AM

Reminder to get out and vote today!
Also, in the comments below, vote for your favorite weather. Tell me your idea of a perfect weather day. Sunny and warm? All-out blizzard? It’s not a debate, just an opinion poll. 🙂

Expect an active weather pattern but not all bad weather. We turn milder today and Wednesday ahead as high pressure slips offshore and a cold front slowly approaches. This front will come through dry late Wednesday then the boundary will bend back to the west again as low pressure from the southwest rides along it and passes just west of southern New England Thursday night and early Friday. This will bring a “mild” rain event late Thursday to early Friday. After a shot of windy and cooler weather later Friday and a nice day Saturday as high pressure dominates, another system, possibly similar to the previous one, will arrive later Sunday, followed by improving weather again early next week.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TODAY: Clouds & sun. Highs in the 50s to near 60. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.
TONIGHT: Partly cloudy. Lows in the 40s. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.
WEDNESDAY: Variably cloudy. Highs in the 60s to near 70. Wind SW 10-20 MPH.
THURSDAY: Cloudy. PM rain. Low 50. High 64.
FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy. AM rain showers. Low 48. High 55.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 38. High 51.
SUNDAY: Increasing clouds. PM rain showers. Low 38. High 56.
MONDAY: Partly sunny. Early rain shower. Low 42. High 52.

8:43PM

Now that the double-barrel weekend storm is pretty much history and behaved pretty much as expected, it’s time to look ahead at the next 7 days.

High pressure builds in Monday, but still has to push against the departing second storm, so it will be windy and cool despite lots of sunshine. By Tuesday, high pressure is pushing offshore and a southwesterly flow will warm it up but with the warmer air coming in at all levels there will be some cloudiness. The warmer southwesterly air flow will continue Wednesday as a cold front approaches but washes out, resulting in a day that sees just a mix of sun and clouds but probably an absentee shower threat or just a few sprinkles and light showers that wander in by late in the day or at night. Previously, I was a little more optimistic about Thursday and Friday, thinking we’d get a stronger cold front through later Thursday and then turn windy/cool but drier on Friday. At this time it appears that system may be a little more amplified, that is, the trough will dig a little more to the south as it moves to the east, allowing a more significant low pressure area to develop and move more slowly. So for now will forecast a turn to wet weather Thursday continuing into Friday. By Saturday, this storm will be on its way into eastern Canada leaving the first part of the weekend windy and chilly but fair. Looking ahead to Sunday, weak high pressure should hold fair weather in, but confidence is low as we will continue to be in a somewhat volatile pattern and there have been some signals for stormy weather by early the following week. Will keep an eye on this.

SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FORECAST…
TONIGHT: Clearing. Lows around 30 Wind NW 15-25 MPH gusting up to 40 MPH.
MONDAY: Sunny. Highs around 50. Wind NW 10-20 MPH gusting around 30 MPH.
MONDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear. Lows in the 30s. Wind W 5-15 MPH.
TUESDAY: Partly cloudy. Highs around 60. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny. Slight chance of rain showers late. Low 53. High 67.
THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain in the afternoon. Low 48. High 61.
FRIDAY: Cloudy. Periods of rain. Low 46. High 56.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Windy. Low 36. High 49.
SUNDAY: Partly cloudy. Low 32. High 51.