Tracking a Spring Heat Wave
Well, that is a whole lot better isn't it? I am always amazed at how weather can lift our spirits..especially after stretch of cool wet days like we just had. A perfect day to be with friends, family and the community today to appreciate all the freedoms we share together. Highs were able to climb into the Lwr 70's in many spots today which felt marvelous! Tonight, skies will be clear, winds will be calm and another cool night should be expected. Dewpoints are in the lwr 30's...so expect temps to go into free fall as the sun sets with lows dropping into the Lwr to mid 40's. Downtown will hold near 50-55 overnight.
High pressure west of us currently will be sliding south of New England and pulling off the coast. Winds will be shifting to the SSE Tuesday. This will help to warm inland areas into the mid 70's, but along the coast, light onshore winds will keep temps in the 60's to near 70. Skies will start off sunny, but high clouds will be increasing from the west during the afternoon along with a warm front. Skies will be cloudy by sunset with showers and thunderstorms moving in towards midnight through the overnight hours. This warm front will mark the leading edge of the high heat which will be shifting eastward to end the week. With the front right over us Wednesday morning, showers and storms will linger, but eventually pull off the coast. Some of these storms may be strong and come with small hail. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will likely be triggered again during the afternoon hours.These have a better chance for locally severe weather to develop. This will all have to be watched. Wednesday is the transition, unsettled weather day this week.
Once this front lift out, as we have been advertising, a huge upper level ridge will begin to shift to the east and remain in place right through the weekend. Winds will be from the SW and will usher in unseasonal warmth for this time of year with the potential for some real stifling heat and humidity. Last year's first heat wave came on June 20th. Just like we had unusual cold this Memorial weekend...now we will shift to unusual warmth this early in the season where it will feel like the middle of July! The heat will remain in place from Thursday to Sunday. Highs will likely average in the Upper 80's to Lwr 90's. Friday & Saturday will likely be the two hottest days. How hot it will get will depend upon the amount of sunshine. I can not completely rule out a brief late day T'storm any day...but there is not much of a trigger for storms with the ridge in place...but we will have the humidity...so isolated storms with peak heating will be possible...especially in western New England. The humid air will be coming right out of the gulf and directed right into the northeast for the end of the week. While the feel of summer sounds like a good idea...once it is here..you may be longing for the current airmass. This will be a little to hot to take...especially for those without AC.
It is important to note, with a ridge in the east and a trough in the west...more sever weather will be developing in the Plains and Midwestern states during the middle to end of the week. There is the potential for more tornadoes from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri to Illinois and Arkansas.
A cold front will slide towards New England on Sunday which will begin to break down the heat wave across the region. Late day storms will be firing in western New England and begin to shift to the coast Sunday night. The front will push through Monday with scattered showers and storms. The timing of exactly when this front will push through is still a bit uncertain. But we can expect Monday to break the spell hot spell with less hot air to follow, but temps still in the 70's
