DAYS 1-5 (NOVEMBER 20-24)
High pressure brings fair, tranquil weather today – a cold morning and seasonably pleasant afternoon – though you’ll see clouds begin to move in ahead of a coming low pressure trough. This has been a much-talked-about system as it offers our first real opportunity in quite some time for a widespread rainfall, which in the shortest term would be beneficial for getting multiple southern New England wildfires under control, some of which have been burning for up to a few weeks. As has been my expectation, it does appear that it will help with the fires, while not being major help for the ongoing drought. We’ll need a series of such systems over a period of weeks (rain or snow as we head into late autumn and winter) to eradicate the drought, and it remains to be seen how that will go. In the shorter term though, beneficial rain does come tomorrow, with the orientation of the occluding low pressure area sending a band of it into our region from southwest to northeast during the morning and midday hours, slowing a little as the occluding low starts a cyclonic pivot, but with enough momentum to eventually push a dry slot up from the south and cut the rain off during the evening hours. It is at that time that most of the region will have seen on the order of about 1/2 to 1 inch of welcomed rainfall – no, not a great soaking, but an ok one, enough to quell the fires anyway. What happens after that is that the old low center will wobble its way by our region from west to east, eventually spawning a new storm to our southeast, that tracks northward on the eastern side of the trough, which will still have its axis west of us later Friday. This can bring another slug of rain to a portion of the region favoring Cape Cod / eastern MA and southeastern NH (maybe far enough west to include RI) for a few hours, timing between late day Friday and early morning Saturday. To the west, only a few showers of rain and some highest-elevation snow showers can occur, but these will be minor. We’ll take any bonus rain we can get from this system, as once it exits, it’s a drying trend that takes over for the balance of the weekend and the start of next week in a chilly northwesterly air flow behind the low pressure conglomeration.
TODAY: Scattered cloud patches amidst plenty of sunshine through midday. An increase in clouds during the afternoon. Highs 52-59. Wind W to variable up to 10 MPH.
TONIGHT: Clouds consolidate – becoming overcast. Lows 38-45. Wind variable up to 10 MPH.
THURSDAY: Overcast. Rain arrives southwest to northeast by midday, but tapers off toward evening south of I-90. Highs 45-52. Wind E 5-15 MPH, higher gusts near the coast.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Patchy rain / drizzle diminishes as clouds break at times. Areas of fog. Temperatures steady 45-52. Wind SE to S 5-15 MPH.
FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy. Scattered rain showers, may be mixed with wet snow in higher elevations of southwestern NH and north central MA. Temperatures fall slightly from 45-52 to 38-45. Wind variable 5-15 MPH.
FRIDAY NIGHT / SATURDAY: Variably cloudy. A few rain/mix/snow showers. An additional period of steadier rain possible eastern areas favoring Cape Cod Friday night. Lows 35-42. Highs 47-54. Wind N to NW 10-20 MPH.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy. Lows 31-38. Wind NW 5-15 MPH, higher gusts.
SUNDAY: Partly sunny. Highs 45-52. Wind NW 10-20 MPH, higher gusts.
DAYS 6-10 (NOVEMBER 25-29)
While still watching for a wave of low pressure to bring clouds and a potential rain threat around the Thanksgiving holiday (November 28) the trends have been for a bit more blocking and unsettled weather pushed south of the region with a drier, chilly northwesterly air flow in our region. Leaning in this direction but not discounting the potential mentioned.
DAYS 11-15 (NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 4)
Watching for a passing low pressure area around December 1-2 – doesn’t look like a major storm this far in advance. Dry weather is expected at the start of and at the end of period. No major extremes of temperature expected.