Weekend Gets Back On Track
Well, that was fun! A widespread 2-5" of rainfall fell across the region in the past 24 hours due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Andrea. Several communities exceeded 4" of rain, like Taunton, Foxboro, Natick, Bridgewater, Douglas, Woonsocket and Berkeley. The post-tropical low cruised over the Cape & Islands this morning. It is now heading for the Gulf of Maine and wrapping in cooler dry air on the back side helping to keep temps in the 50's this morning under the clouds. Meanwhile, the dry air has been eroding some of the clouds with sunshine in the CT river valley. These breaks of sun will be shifting eastward as the low departs, allowing for breaks of sun to emerge across Eastern MA for the midday through the afternoon. Still plenty of clouds mixed in to. With a breeze from the WNW, temps should respond to the increase of sun and allow highs to climb into the Lwr-mid 70's by the end of the day. High surf advisory remains in place with seas 3-6 feet, so watch for the potential for strong rip currents if you plan on being at the beaches this afternoon as the sun starts to emerge.
There is another piece of lift/energy hanging back in the mid atlantic which will still have to swing through late today into the early evening hours. As it approaches, skies will again begin to cloud over after 3 PM. This could trigger a few late day scattered showers or a thunderstorm...but for most of us the remainder of the day will be dry. Skies will continue to clear this evening with lows dropping into the 50's. Weak high pressure will settle in over us Sunday with sunny to partly sunny skies, light WSW winds and highs able to climb into the Lwr 80's inland and 70's at the coast with a sea breeze. Sunday will be you pick of the weekend!
The week will start out decent enough on Monday, but clouds will be on the increase during the afternoon ahead of an approaching warm front which could trigger a few scattered showers or a thunderstorm late in the day and into the evening. This warm front is part of an upper low which will be swinging in from the northern plains and eventually through New England. This upper low will help to keep periodic showers going from Monday night-Wednesday. So a bit of a cooler unsettled stretch of showers through the midweek. High pressure will again begin to assert it's influence upon the northeast by the end of the week with highs in the 70's with increasing sunshine.
Our drought concerns have pretty much vanished due to the recent rains of Many and early June. We have picked up 18.05" of precipitation since January 1...normal is 19.07". So in Boston we are only 1" below normal. In Worcester we have picked up 20.38" of total precip since Jan 1st and that is almost exactly near the average 20.23"! So despite the dry conditions at times, Drought never seems to last in New England for very long. What a rainstorm! But this weekend, we will be getting back on track to enjoying these fleeting moments of a summer season which always flies by much too fast!
