There is essentially no change in this week’s forecast as described in my blog of 24 hours ago. There will be two cold December-like days followed by a nice recovery to above average temperatures the second half of the week. A gargantuan high pressure system will govern much of the nation through most of the week so it is an easy forecast with no storms to deal with and that is just fine with most of us. The only downside is the precipitation deficit over the past three months. Last week’s rain was slightly helpful but not that beneficial in many areas especially north and west of Boston.
Today’s changeable sky of sunshine and clouds was highlighted by a batch of brief showers this afternoon which even triggered some lightning and thunder on parts of the South Coast and Cape Cod. The frontal boundary and its upper level impulse are scooting out to sea so clearing is rapidly replacing the clouds as the wind occasionally gusts up to 30 mph this evening. Later tonight, the wind will decrease a bit but it will still be breezy at times. It will cool to the 30s overnight then rise to near or slightly over 50 tomorrow as we take some time to honor those who have served this country on Veterans Day. Sunshine will be prevalent in the morning but clouds will become more noticeable in the afternoon. There will be no rain but there is a strong cold front approaching. It may trigger a few brief rain showers tomorrow night but it is more likely that some post frontal snow showers or flurries will break out just before dawn and linger into a portion of the morning commute on Tuesday. As an upper level trough of low pressure exits, it will become partly to mostly sunny from northwest to southeast later Tuesday morning with bright sunshine for the afternoon. With the advection of some really cold air from Canada, the temperature may fail to exceed 40 especially near and north and west of Boston on Tuesday afternoon. That sets the stage for the coldest night of the season so far on Tuesday night with lows in the middle teens to middle 20s across the area except near 30 on Cape Cod. Unlimited sunshine will only boost temperatures to the upper 30s for highs on Wednesday.
Looking ahead, the sprawling high pressure system will build eastward across the southern portion of the country and the resultant southwesterly wind will propel milder air back into the Northeast the second half of the week. You can expect a cold start Thursday morning followed by a nice bounce to the lower 50s and, subsequently, the air warms further for Friday, Saturday and Sunday with highs anticipated in the upper 50s to near 60 degrees. So jump on the roller coaster ride of temperatures close to a dozen degrees below the average on Tuesday and Wednesday to a half-dozen plus degrees above the average later in the week. The next weather maker will be in the form of mild and rather humid showery rains at least a week from tomorrow. Behind that system, frigid air will be streaming southward all the way down through Texas.
Todd Gutner posts his thoughts tomorrow morning and Eric Fisher follows later in the day.
Make it a great week!
