Friday Forecast

53 Comments

7:44AM

DAYS 1-5 (MAY 8-12)

High pressure brings nice weather to start today but clouds will be on the advance ahead of a cold front and developing low pressure system later, and tonight we’ll turn wet with rain arriving, but as the front pushes through the region and anomalous cold both surface and aloft arrive, we’re going to see rain flip to snow in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday in the higher elevations of central MA and southwestern NH to start, and then as the low pressure system, tracking northeastward close to the South Coast, starts to pull away, the mix/snow line will try to advance toward the coast. Now keeping in mind that it’s May, the worst that is likely to happen is up to an inch or so of slushy accumulation on unpaved surfaces in higher elevations and maybe a quick coating on grassy areas a little further southeast, into the Boston suburbs, which would melt in rapid fashion after daybreak Saturday, even if there were still flakes in the air for a while. Nevertheless we’ll be left with a blustery and unseasonably chilly Saturday, with lots of clouds and a passing shower of rain or even mixed rain/snow over the hills. This improves to a sunnier Sunday, still with some passing clouds, a breezy but not as windy, and a chilly feel to the air but not as cold as Saturday. I also think that we may be saved from a frost and potential late season freeze by the breeze that will keep the air mixed Sunday morning so the temperature doesn’t fall to it’s potential lowest level. At least this Mother’s Day won’t be rainy, mixed with sleet in some areas, like 2019’s. We’d also have to worry about a frost/freeze Sunday night / Monday morning, but I think the rapid movement of weather systems means a blanket of clouds will already be in place to keep temperatures in check. Another slug of rain is expected Monday with the passage of the next low pressure area, but this time rain, no snow involved. That moves away quickly and is replaced by high pressure with fair, cool weather Tuesday.

TODAY: Sunny start, cloudy finish. Highs 56-63. Wind W 5-15 MPH, gusts over 20 MPH.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. Rain arrives, changes to snow pre-dawn southwestern NH and central MA higher elevations with up to 1 inch possible on cold surfaces, may mix with snow into northwestern suburbs of Boston with a possible coating on grassy surfaces and car tops. Lows 33-40. Wind S 5-15 MPH early evening, shifting to N with higher gusts late evening.

SATURDAY: Cloudy early-mid morning with snow/mix northwest of Boston, rain/mix around Boston, rain to the southeast, tapering off west to east. Mostly cloudy with passing showers of rain/mix possible thereafter. Highs 42-49. Wind NW 15-25 MPH, higher gusts.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Clearing. Lows 32-39. Wind NW 5-15 MPH.

SUNDAY: Sunny start mixed sun and clouds. Highs 52-59. Wind NW 10-20 MPH.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Lows 40-47. Wind N 5-15 MPH.

MONDAY: Cloudy. Periods of rain. Highs 48-55. Wind NE 5-15 MPH.

MONDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with a chance of rain or drizzle early, then clearing. Lows 38-45. Wind N 5-15 MPH.

TUESDAY: Sun and passing clouds. Highs 55-62. Wind NW 10-20 MPH.

DAYS 6-10 (MAY 13-17)

General west to east flow pattern expected. Current timing would have it cool with a disturbance bringing the risk of a passing rain shower May 13, then dry and milder May 14. A system passing north of the region brings clouds and a brief wet weather threat later May 15 to early May 16 followed by fair and briefly cooler then milder through May 17.

DAYS 11-15 (MAY 18-22)

General pattern in this time frame looks zonal (west to east) and more relaxed toward seasonably milder with a couple minor rainfall threats.

53 thoughts on “Friday Forecast”

  4. Good morning and thank you TK.

    Ah, too bad it likely will not be white around these parts tomorrow AM. As long as it wouldn’t be enough snow to bring tree limbs down, I wanted to see that. Oh well, it is what it is. 🙂

    2. You’re welcome. Nice to see you comment here my friend. Please feel free to chime in whenever, even if it’s just about listening to a thunderstorm from the porch. 🙂

  9. Thank you, TK.

    So, it appears the blocking pattern may ease a bit next week. It’ll have been about a 6 week stretch. Can we order this pattern from the weather gods for, say, the December 10th to January 20th period?

    1. 53 here. Long way to go to get to the snow zone. 🙂 🙂
      Temps at 850 mb are marginal and temps at 925 mb, well, fugettaboutit.

  11. Macs brother just txtd me and it is 91 just east of San Francisco and he is seeing snow for here.

  13. Thanks TK.

    Down to 40 with light rain here in Coventry.

    Hoping to wake up to a white coating in the AM…we’ll see.

  16. Peter Marteka
    @petermarteka

    Who knew when I Tweeted this two years ago we would be talking snow…on the same May day…..

    @petermarteka
    · May 9, 2018

    An edition of @hartfordcourant from the dead of winter? Nope, May 10, 1977, the day after the latest ever recorded snowstorm to hit Connecticut. Then 9 months later the Blizzard of ’78. Fun stuff! @ericfisher

    https://twitter.com/petermarteka/status/1258785814475149313?s=20

  17. Mark, thank you for the winter links in May. I always wonder what the bears think of this. Of course, it happens frequently. But, my guess is that in spite of the snow the bears are no longer hibernating.

  18. Mark, you will probably have some flakes mix in and perhaps even have a period of all wet snow. No accumulation. But, if you’re already at 40F at the surface …

    1. Not expecting much but we don’t need to drop much more in temp to be cold enough to see some wet flakes. Not sure we are going to be able to get enough precip intensity for accumulation by the time it is cold enough to snow but sure would be nice to see a sugar coating in the morning.

  19. NWS point and click forecast for here tonight….

    Tonight
    Rain before 2am, then snow. Low around 33. Light and variable wind becoming northwest 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

    We’ll see…. 🙂 I’ll set the alarm for 6 and see if there is a surprise. If I wait till the time I actually wake up, anything that fell probably would have melted.

    1. I may have to set an early alarm also. We are holding very steady at 42 and have been for a bit

  20. I think I may see a few flakes in the wee hours of the morning here. As much as I love snow, I hope that it’s the last flakes until the fall. Vicki and Mark I think you will be in on the flakes as well, sleep lightly or you may miss them because I don’t think much if anything will stick.

  22. It’s almost 2:30 AM and I do not see a single snowflake. Just rain. Bah humbug. Going to bed.

  24. Snow has tapered off here and left everything coated in white. 30F and a gusty wind with wind chill in the low 20’s. Incredible for May 9!

  25. A little moderate burst of snow right now giving the lawn a coating, temp is 31.5. Hopefully this will decrease the pollen somewhat today for all of the allergy sufferers, myself included.

    1. I guess. I just looked out a few minutes ago and plenty of big fat flakes!
      Pretty freaky for May 9th.

  31. Very joyful moments standing outside in this, collecting photos and video, some of it in slow motion. When you are over 50 and standing in May snow (that isn’t mixed with rain) for only the 3rd time in your life, it’s pretty neat! Playing a few Christmas songs to celebrate. 😉 Yup, I’m weird like that.

    New blog post will be up in a little while.

      1. I took video in 1/8, 1/4, and regular speed. One of my 1/8 speed videos catches a bird flying overhead and into the tree nearby. 😉

        Got a few still pix too.

      2. I posted above that Macs brother east of San Francisco txtd me last night de snow here. It was 91 there

        1. Former classmate from Woburn lives near Vegas and their expected high is 99 today.

          Ridge West, trough East. 🙂

    2. You are definitely not weird. Or perhaps we both are. I just love this. Youngest was just taking pics of the orioles on our feeder. I suspect you will see them on FB.

      It is one of those wistful mornings when you just feel good inside and out and around now I think we need that.

  32. Good morning!

    Snow flurries in Taunton around 9 am!!!

    39 now with a morning low of 36!

    Take care, be well and have a great weekend!

  34. Snow flakes made it to Back Bay.

    Mark, I’m glad you got to see a coating of snow. 30F and wind chill in the low 20s on May 9th. Welcome to New England. Though we didn’t have snow in May in SNE last year, we did have snow in parts of New England throughout April. I’d say 6 of the last 7 springs have featured snow at some point between late March and early May.

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