Memorial Day Weekend Weather Forecast: Rain, Dreary And Cool Before Nice Finish
BOSTON (CBS) - Don't you just love this time of year in New England? The landscape is green as can be, beaches are opening up, boats going back in the water and this year, the added bonus of restaurants and bars reopening at 100-percent, heck even Fenway Park will be back in business!
All seems right in the world, and then you checked the weather forecast.
Leave it Mother Nature to ruin a party.
Warm weather lovers certainly have had nothing to complain about this spring.
- March: 3.7 degrees above average
- April: 2.2 degrees above average
- May thus far: 4.9 degrees above average (no below average days in 2 and a half weeks!)
This is the third warmest May to date in Boston's recorded history. It has been downright balmy this spring in New England. In fact, if you look at meteorological spring (March-April-May), this has been the 7th warmest on record in Boston and the warmest in 9 years.
I know what you're saying, all that sounds great but what have you done for me lately?
You want to have that holiday weekend barbeque or head to the lake for some time on the boat, or perhaps you had plans to hit the beach.
Let's take a closer look and see if we can find some optimism in an otherwise depressing forecast.
FRIDAY: Cloudy and Cool
Best chance for sunshine: early in the day, clouds quickly fill in
Best chance for rain: late in the day, arrives west to east between 5-9 p.m., looks like a good soaking overnight
Temperatures: 60s inland, 50s coast
Beach and boating: high tide between 1-2 p.m. Light easterly wind. Seas 2-to-3 feet. Coastal flooding possible. Light inundation with astronomical high tides and gusty NE wind. Ferry delays possible.
Commentary: if you have tee times, make them in the morning or early afternoon. Any time after 5-6 p.m. could get wet.
SATURDAY: Rainy and gusty
Best chance for sunshine: late in the day well to the north and west (talking Berkshires and northern mountains)
Best chance for rain: morning. Widespread steady rainfall likely from southern New Hampshire down to the South Coast. Heaviest over southeastern Mass. By afternoon we dry out but some lingering drizzle and light rain is possible for a time near the coast
Temperatures: 40s and 50s throughout all of southern New England. 60s in far northern New England where there will be some sunshine
Beach and boating: high tide between 2-3 p.m. Northeast wind 10-20+. Seas 2-to-4 feet
Commentary: Best day for the Red Sox! If you have tee times, make them in the afternoon. If you're searching for sunshine, head north. Vermont, far northern New Hampshire and Maine are your best shot
SUNDAY: Dreary and cool
Best chance for sunshine: early in the day and north of the Mass Pike, even more so north of the Mass. New Hampshire border
Best chance for rain: late in the day, chances increase from south to north. Showers likely south of the Pike in the afternoon and a few reach north of the Pike up to southern New Hampshire by evening. Rain is mainly light, not nearly as heavy as Friday and Saturday
Temperatures: 50s in eastern and southeastern Mass. (in the clouds), 60-to-65 well inland, 65-to-70 central and northern New England with more sunshine
Beach and boating: high tide between 3-4 p.m. Northeast wind 10-20 mph and seas 2-to-4 feet
Commentary: morning tee times are safest farther north and west also likely better. While not a ton of rain, certainly a rough beach day with continued onshore winds.
MEMORIAL DAY:
Best chance for sunshine: afternoon and evening and also better chance to the west
Best chance for rain: eastern MA (including Cape and Islands) and areas beaches first half of the day
Temperatures: 50s in eastern and southeastern Mass., 60-65 central Mass. and areas 20-40 miles west of coastline, 65-75 western New England (Connecticut River Valley, Vermont) with more sunshine
Beach and boating: high tide between 4-5pm. North wind 5-15mph. Seas 2-3ft.
Commentary: there is hope here for a nice finish to the weekend, especially in the afternoon and evening if rain and clouds clear rapidly in the morning.
Follow Terry on Twitter @TerryWBZ
