Hurricane Arthur Moves North
BOSTON (CBS) - Happy 3rd of July everyone!
Mother Nature has impeccable timing. After weeks of quiet, dry weather everything in the weather world appears to be converging over New England just in time for our most famous outdoor holiday.
Download: CBS Boston Weather App
Many towns are postponing their firework celebrations to Saturday, a terrific idea in my opinion.
As for Boston's 4th of July, now rescheduled for the 3rd of July, we are cautiously optimistic that most of the festivities should go off without a hitch (or a storm).
Check: Roads Closed List
Hurricane Arthur will remain several hundred miles to our south on Thursday and will have no direct impact on the festivities down at the Esplanade.
However, a very tropical airmass, thanks in part to Arthur, will flood into New England Thursday.
It will feel like a typical day on a Caribbean Island, just without the palm trees.
Hazy sun, extremely high dew points, and a very soupy feel to the air with temperatures in the upper 80's - all you need is a fruity drink and a cabana to complete the tropical island feel!
Check: Tracking Maps | Current Conditions | Interactive Radar | WBZ Weather Blog | Forecast Maps
The problem is, all that extremely moist air will be ripe for thunderstorm development. It won't take much effort from the atmosphere to spark some more heavy downpours and nasty thunderstorms.
At this point, it looks as though the best chance of storm development will be north and west of Boston, much like Wednesday afternoon.
Lets try to time things out as best we can:
This Afternoon:
Clouds will build and thunderstorms will quickly develop, again mainly north and west of Boston. They will move from southwest to northeast across New England and contain some very heavy downpours, lightning, and damaging winds. As with most thunderstorm situations, they won't be happening everywhere, so it will be all "eyes on the radar" in the afternoon hours.
Temperatures will rise well into the 80's and "feels like" readings will top 90.
This Evening:
Another round of storms is likely late on Thursday. Once again, it appears that the majority of the action will be north and west of Boston, but we cannot rule out a few storms drifting east towards the coastline.
Check: Fireworks Displays | Pops Concert Webcast | Esplanade Guide
Around fireworks time, expect temperatures in the upper 70's to near 80. It will be very humid, with a slight risk of storms - fingers crossed!
Follow Terry on Twitter @TerryWBZ
MORE LOCAL NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON
