Light Onshore Winds Make It Cool....Strong NW Winds Will Make It Cold!
Well, we knew it could not last forever. This weekend marks the beginning of a pattern change which could last at least through the first half of April. The cooling trend has begun as a cold front has pushed through and winds are now in from the east. Water temps are in the the upper 40's and that is where our temps will remain along the immediate coast line this weekend. Weak high pressure is pushing through New England today providing mainly dry conditions. A deck of mid-level clouds is moving through with NW winds aloft. This is making for a mostly cloudy day across much of the region...but there are areas with thinner clouds seeing a good amount of sunshine as well. A variably cloudy sky with highs climbing to 60+ inland, 50's in eastern MA...Upper 40's & Lwr 50's at the coast. Saturday is the pick of the weekend. Brighter skies in SNE. Enjoy!
A Cut-off low is in place across the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. Rain with embedded thunderstorms are streaming up through the Appalachians into the mid-Atlantic states. This low will be forced south though the Carolinas by an energized northern polar stream which will bring colder air from Canada with it. Still, clouds will be increasing/thickening tonight through Sunday. Showers breaking off of this low will push into New England late tonight and last through tomorrow. Best chance of showers will be after midnight through Midday Sunday. Showers do not look very heavy...maybe a few tenths of an inch. East winds on Sunday with clouds and periodic showers will keep it cool in the 40's and some lwr 50's inland.
Skies will be clearing late Sunday night with Sunshine emerging Monday with gusty NW winds. Snow guns will begin to get fired up across the north for snow making to help extend the ski season for bigger mountains. The front will push through Monday afternoon, so there is a chance for temps to climb to near 50 ahead of the front. Once off the coast, cold air will be on the move Monday afternoon with temps falling into the 40's. Winds will be gusting to 30-40 mph making for a blustery feel as Canadian High pressure builds in behind the front. Clear skies and breezy cold winds Monday night into early Tuesday. Temps will be dropping to below freezing by sunrise Tuesday and this will likely mean a widespread frost and freeze. Many plants, shrubs and even trees have started to bloom close to a month ahead of schedule. This could be briefly damaging frost for some crops which were planted or started to bloom ahead of schedule.
By Wednesday, models show another shortwave moving in from the Great Lakes and will provide another chance of showers. Colder air with high pressure will follow in on the back side to keep temps in the 40's for Friday. So the cool down has arrived. A more typical airmass for late March and early April. A persistent trough appears to remain in place through the first week...possibly two weeks into April. A different pattern from the record breaking summer ridge we just experienced. Though the weather will not be as warm ...there will still be plenty of good weather to enjoy. At least we are heading in the right direction
