DAYS 1-5 (APRIL 16-20)
A back-door cold front pushed across our region yesterday afternoon and evening and a disturbance brought some overnight showers and thunderstorms to portions of the WHW forecast area. That activity pushed offshore before dawn and we now sit in the maritime cooled air, with warmer air lurking just to the southwest, poised to make a run back into the region today. It will be partially successful in this. The greatest temperature rise will occur where the front can most easily make progress northeastward – interior southern and western portions of the WHW forecast area, i.e., southwestern NH, central MA, and interior RI and eastern CT, while areas closer to the coast and especially to the east stay in the cooler air. The next disturbance approaches our area later today and this evening, and with the help of the contrasting air masses will trigger more showers and possible thunderstorms, favoring southern NH into northern MA. As the disturbance triggers a wave of low pressure on the boundary which then slides offshore to our east on Friday, additional showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms will favor areas mostly west of I-495 and south of I-90 during the day before it all sinks to the south, leaving us with a cool, maritime air mass lingering into the start of the weekend with more tranquil but rather cloudy and cool conditions for Saturday. We’re not done with the quick changes though at that point, as low pressure tracking northeastward and passing to our northwest on Sunday attempts to pull warmer air back into the region once again, with its trailing cold front that moving across the region with a good chance of showers and embedded thunderstorms. What remains in question is the timing of this, especially the shower and t-storm threat for Sunday. Some guidance suggest earlier, other guidance later. I’ve been leaning toward afternoon and evening and continue to do so based on the latest information I trust most, but still I don’t rule out earlier timing and I remind you to check back as I update this. Regardless of the timing of the cold front and its associated rainfall on Sunday, what does not change is the arrival of a cool, dry air mass for Monday – aka Patriots Day – an important day here for outdoor events, especially the Boston Marathon and a home Red Sox game – both long standing traditions. So right now while rain is not in the forecast, it does look like a cool and breezy day. More detail to come regarding this day.
TODAY: Cloudy morning. Mostly cloudy with a few breaks of sun possible well inland in the afternoon. Patchy drizzle favoring coastal areas. Slight chance of a shower, but a better chance of showers and possible thunderstorm toward day’s end favoring southern NH and northern MA regions. Highs ranging from 52-59 coast to 75-82 well inland, warmest likely northeastern CT and south central MA. Wind E under 10 MPH but shifting to SW from southwest to northeast all except southeastern NH and far eastern MA.
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Showers likely, favoring southern NH through northern and central MA, including possible thunderstorms. Areas of fog. Lows 50-57. Wind variable up to 10 MPH.
FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers and thunderstorms, especially morning to mid afternoon, favoring areas well west to southwest of Boston. Highs 58-65 except cooler in some coastal areas. Wind variable up to 10 MPH trending to NE 5-15 MPH from north to south.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Lows 45-52. Wind variable to NE to E up to 10 MPH.
SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy. Highs 52-59. Wind E up to 10 MPH.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Lows 45-52 evening, may rise overnight. Wind E shifting to S 5-15 MPH.
SUNDAY: Variably cloudy. Showers and possible thunderstorms arrive west to east during the day. Highs 52-59 South Coast, 60-67 elsewhere. Wind S to SW 5-15 MPH.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy with showers and possible thunderstorms in the evening. Partly cloudy overnight. Lows 42-49. Wind SW 5-15 MPH with higher gusts, shifting to NW from west to east.
MONDAY – PATRIOTS DAY: Sun and passing clouds. Highs 52-59. Wind NW 10-20 MPH, higher gusts.
DAYS 6-10 (APRIL 21-25)
High pressure brings dry, cool weather early to mid period. Low pressure trough brings a later-period wet weather threat.
DAYS 11-15 (APRIL 26-30)
Early period wet weather potential before a drying trend. Temperatures below normal.
Good morning and thank you TK
51 after low of 49
OCEAN: 43
Wordle: 4
Awesome 4, JpDave !!
I agree. Awesome 4!
That’s great!
I got it in 5.
Nice 5.
I am in the Engineering compartment for now? Rare for me these days. I will do my best, until someone kicks me out. 🙂
Very nice 5
Thanks TK !
2-3 am wake up from briefly heavy rain and lightning/thunder.
A couple of rumbles shook the house. Those significant rumbles were around 5 seconds post lightning, but wow, it wasn’t that they were the loudest ever, it was that they really shook the ground.
Wordle: 6
After the first guess, I had the first and last letter in the correct spots, but, didn’t really take advantage of that. Oh well 🙂
You got it!!! Yay
Yay. I’m stuck…again
I understand an upcoming NAO is going to put some hold on warmth in the eastern 2/3rds of the continental US for a while.
What a run its been, March ended up +9F above avg in the continental US and the last handful of days in the eastern half of the US has been summer like.
Its been great, but bizarre to see these consistent inland temps of 80-85F in southern New England. Another one today, perhaps.
Makes me wonder what is potentially in store this summer for some or many parts of the lower 48 ……..
Shhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
An inland warm stretch is really just conditional of a high pressure ridge in the current pattern and doesn’t have much of a correlation regarding the summer ahead.
We’ll also be seeing a significant ENSO shift taking place by then.
Thanks TK
All of CT, up to a point that is east of Springfield and west of Worcester are on the other side of the boundary.
Those areas temps are nearing 70F already and the dps are at or over 60F.
TK has it in his forecast, we’re doing the opposite of yesterday, where the boundary moves east today and gives eastern areas a chance at warming up sharply later this afternoon.
WPC surface map as of 5:20 this morning.
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/sfc/90fwbg.gif
This map would “suggest” we should warm later, but there could be cold air resistance. We shall see.
Wordle 4
Nice, now we have 3 engineers. Please join us.
Yay!!
Thanks, TK.
Arrived in North London at my daughter’s flat to the sound of wood pigeons and mourning doves.
It’s partly cloudy and 58F.
Happy you made it safely! ENJOY London!!!!
Hoping you have a fantastic visit
Thank you TK!
Wordle: 4
Nice 4. Please join me in the engineering compartment and we can share driving duties. 🙂 🙂
Of course, we may still be replaced.
I ok with being replaced if it means we can just eat and drink and enjoy the ride. 🙂
Lightning strike on a church in Moosup, CT from the storms last night.
https://x.com/steveginx/status/2044727628687351968
Thanks TK.
Just landed in Fort Lauderdale FL after getting awakened by two rounds of intense storms last night back home in Coventry. The first around midnight was severe warned.
Looks like another scorcher today across CT with highs in Hartford nearing records in the mid to upper 80s. Meanwhile, “cooler” here in south Florida where the high today is only 82. Don’t see that too often in April, lol.
Happy travels, Mark. Enjoy!!!
Thank you Vicki!
Thank you, TK. At what smells like a muggy 60
From a low of 55
Fast moving but nasty storm around 2:30. Loudest Thunder clap I believe I’ve ever heard almost immediately preceded by a brilliant lightning flash.
Wordle 5. And way funny. I had the correct word for guess 4 but chose the incorrect spelling
Funny game!!!!
Sure Is.
I really thought I had it on my fourth guess too. Everything turned green until it got to the last letter.
I blame my mathematics background for that wrong guess. 🙂
Up to 57 here.
Thanks TK.
Watching the ~4/27-4/30 period, corresponding with your wet weather threat during that time. Right now models are keeping various lows/shortwaves highly disorganized and strung out during that time. And admittedly this time of year it gets hard to phase big “coastal bombs” together. But I’ll be interested to see if any model solutions at least try to do it, and what sort of dynamic cooling effects it would initiate in the model, just as a gauge of potential. The upper level pattern for a big coastal storm is pretty much perfect, just fighting climatology. IMO there is a low but non-zero chance Boston adds to its seasonal snow total before the month is out. And more meaningful chances across the interior/higher terrain… this pattern is also very much tied in to the developing strong El Nino event which will dominate the global climate over the next 12 months.
Up to 60 here. Closest 70 reading is Pawtucket RI at 73.
Not all that far away,
62 and creeping upward. 52 at the airport.
Happy travels, Mark!
At any different points over the years, WHW has representation in many any of the world’s continents.
From North and South America to Europe to Asia to Africa to Australia.
Thanks Joshua, you too!
It’s 81 with a heat index of 82 here on Miami Beach and 84 with a heat index of 83 right now in Hartford. Go figure!
55F. Can’t see it going higher. Not benefitting from a southwesterly flow. I am seeing very light, light northerly winds.
Block Island is 72F and Martha’s Vineyard is 73F.
Most areas have become sunny, so, if that boundary begins to move northeastward this afternoon and its in the 80s in many parts of CT, there could still be a large warmup in eastern areas just prior to evening.
Hoping but I don’t see it yet
Agreed.
We would probably be talking 4-6 pm on the south shore, even a little later at Logan and perhaps 7-9 pm up on the north shore.
88F at Bradley!
Definitely a lot more sun than I expected, which is a bonus if you like the warm later spring / early summer feel – applicable in areas on the other side (aka warm side) of the frontal boundary.
Worcester airport now around to SW wind, so some sign of the boundary headed northeastward.
Well the boundary is NOT here.
Down to 57.5 with a busy EAST wind. Just came back from W. Roxbury and the flag at the post office was out straight with a stiff East wind even that far inland, about 8-9 miles. The sun really helps, but one can REALLY feel that EAST wind!
50 at the ARM PIT!!!! BRRRRRRR!!@(#**@!()*#()!*@)(#*!@)(
Yup 🙂
North Dighton and Attleboro, east and northeast of Providence are also around to a SW wind, so the boundary is definitely making slow progress northeastward.
If it comes through Boston and Marshfield around 7pm or so, still might have enough warmth to jump us to 70-75F.
56 now!!!! Will the cooling ever stop?????
Yes 🙂
Taunton over to Sw wind now.
There’s no doubt it’s moving our way. 2-3 more hrs, maybe 1-2 for me in marshfield.
But, like you said, I’m in humarock section of Marshfield, it’s fairly foggy and it’s downright cold.
Yes. This is pretty typical for April in Boston. 😉
The weather pattern since sometime last year has reminded me so much of the 1970s and 1980s (the growing up years). Loving it. 🙂
Years that had days that were very cold in the winter and conversely some very hot days in the summer.
Yep. In general I think those days were a little more variable & extreme in comparison to recently.
ARM PIT now 49!!!!!
https://stormhq.blog/2026/04/16/weekend-outlook-april-17-20-2026/
55 here and 48 at the airport.
Many 90 degree readings in New Jersey!!!
54 now….
90F today in Springfield.
FYI: Many, many times over the years we’ve seen temps approach or touch or exceed 90 inland in April.
Seeing some posts out there acting like it’s the first time it’s ever happened. No. It’s not. In fact, it’s actually not uncommon to have an episode like this a couple times during the course of a springtime.
Not everything is “unprecedented”, the now most overused word in weather-related media. Hate the term now. Despise it, mainly because 99 out of 100 times it’s used incorrectly.
I agree. The current overuse of that word is unprecedented.
🙂
BAHAHAHAHA now that was funny!
The other phrase media uses extreme weather
Extreme Weather. Yes. Another overused one. Weather is weather. There are varying degrees of anything that occurs. I am not a subscriber of trying to decide when something is “extreme” vs. “non-extreme”. We have measurements and gauges that give us information. We don’t need to over-describe it.
52
https://weather.us/radar-us/massachusetts/reflectivity/KBOX_20260416-220836z.html
Nice cell up by Keene, NH
MA Drought Map showed some improvement over last week.
Hydrologists are keeping an eye on many western states.