3:25AM

A disturbance will cross the region from NW to SE today popping clouds and possible showers. There is a slight chance of some thunder and small hail with some of the showers, as it will be quite cold aloft, making the atmosphere very unstable. A nicer weekend is in store but it won’t be perfect as some clouds roll in late Saturday and again during Sunday as a warm front approaches late Saturday and a cold front approaches late Sunday. The early and middle part of next week look fairly unsettled once again.

TODAY: Sunny start then clouds popping up with scattered showers, a slight chance of thunder and small hail. High 62-67. Wind NW 10-20 MPH.

TONIGHT: Lots of clouds early then clearing. Low 46-51 except 41-46 inland valley areas. Wind NW diminishing to around 10 MPH.

SATURDAY: Sunshine much of the day but increasing clouds from the NW late afternoon. High 70-75. Wind W 5-15 MPH.

SATURDAY  NIGHT: Variably cloudy. Low 50-55. Wind SW 5-15 MPH.

SUNDAY: Partly sunny. High 72-77. Wind SW 10-15 MPH.

MONDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 53. High 69.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 53. High 67.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 51. High 65.

THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 50. High 63.

2:05AM

The unsettled weather pattern will continue for a few days as a frontal system drifts eastward across the region and waves of low pressure ride up along it. One such wave will pass west of southern New England today while a second one passes to the east on  Thursday. By Friday, this front will be pulling away but upper level low pressure will keep it somewhat unsettled. If we get lucky, much of the weekend will be good, but an additional disturbance may bring some clouds at some point (timing uncertain). A new period of unsettled weather is expected by the beginning of next week.

Forecast for eastern MA, RI, and southern NH…

TODAY: Mostly cloudy. Periods of showers, a few possibly heavy. High from near 60 south facing coastal areas to near 70 inland areas.  Wind S-SW 5-15 MPH.

TONIGHT:  Cloudy. Showers likely. Chance of thunderstorms. Low 55-60. Wind SW shifting to N 10-15 MPH.

THURSDAY: Cloudy. Showers likely in the morning with some heavy downpours and a slight chance of thunder. Showers less numerous in the afternoon. High 60-65. Wind N 10-15 MPH.

FRIDAY: Variably cloudy. Isolated showers. Low 48. High 64.

SATURDAY: Partly sunny. Low 46. High 64.

SUNDAY: Partly cloudy. Low 51. High 70.

MONDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 50. High 66.

TUESDAY:  Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 52. High 68.

9:01PM

We had our sunny day, well mostly sunny, as the sun did fade out before setting. Those clouds were ahead of a warm front which will passing by overnight and early Tuesday morning, sending some light rain across northern MA and southern NH. Most of the forecast area will be cloudy but rain-free for most of the daylight hours of Tuesday, other than the early light rain to the north and some late-day showers approaching the 495 belt and parts of south central NH. The cold front responsible for these showers will settle across the area from west to east and barely make it off the coast by early Wednesday. It’s possible that we get some partial clearing on Wednesday as one batch of showers moves offshore. If this happens, it may become quite warm for a time on Wednesday.  By Wednesday night and Thursday, a low pressure wave on the front may send a batch of rainfall into eastern sections (RI, far eastern MA, and southeastern NH). This will drag cooler air down from the north during Thursday, which should turn out much cooler than Wednesday.

Late this week, upper level low pressure may linger over the area Friday into Saturday, so don’t expect perfectly sunny days, but instead we’ll see pop-up clouds and possible showers as it will be unstable. Maybe by Sunday we can finally break out into a very nice day, just in time for Mother’s Day. I am cautiously optimistic about this day.

Forecast for eastern MA, southern NH, and RI…

TONIGHT: Cloudy. Chance of light rain north of the Mass Pike after midnight. Low 48-53. Wind shifting from E to S up to 10 MPH.

TUESDAY:  Cloudy. Chance of light rain north of the Mass Pike early. Showers may reach the 495 belt especially north of the Mass Pike late in the day. High 58-63. Wind S 10-20 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. Showers likely. Slight chance of a thunderstorm. Low 52-57. Wind S 5-15 MPH.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy to partly sunny. Showers lingering mainly southeast of Boston early. Isolated showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 68-73 except cooler in south-facing coastal areas. Wind S-SW 10-15 MPH.

THURSDAY: Cloudy. Chance of rain/drizzle. Low 50. High 59.

FRIDAY: Variably cloudy. Scattered showers. Low 49. High 61.

SATURDAY: Partly sunny. Isolated showers. Low 48. High 62.

SUNDAY: Partly cloudy. Low 51. High 70.

MONDAY: Partly sunny. Late showers. Low 54. High 73.

1:17AM

A narrow area of high pressure will provide very nice weather for southern New England today. This will give way to approaching low pressure Tuesday which will drag a slow moving frontal system to the East Coast. This front will then stall near the coast and allow a couple waves of low pressure to move up along it, keeping unsettled weather, which arrives on Tuesday, going through the middle of the week. Timing of rainy periods is a little uncertain, so some short-term updates will be necessary to nail these down. For now, plan on wet weather any time during the Tuesday-Thursday period. By Friday, all of this should be exiting and hopefully setting the stage for nice weather for next weekend.

Forecast for eastern MA, RI, and southern NH…

TODAY: Sunshine, filtered at times by some high clouds in the western sky late in the day. High from near 60 coast to near 70 inland. Wind variable up to 10 MPH with sea breezes.

TONIGHT: Clouds advancing west to east. Low 46-51. Wind S under 10 MPH.

TUESDAY: Cloudy. A period of light rain in the morning mainly north of the Mass Pike. Showers arriving west to east during the afternoon. High ranging from the upper 50s south-facing coastal areas to lower and middle 60s elsewhere. Wind S 10-20 MPH.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Episodes of showers, favoring early morning and late day. Low 53. High 67.

THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Episodes of showers, favoring morning. Low 51. High 62.

FRIDAY: Partly sunny. Isolated showers. Low 47. High 64.

SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 51. High 68.

SUNDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 54. High 73.

10:41AM

No, today is not going to be sunny. There is too much moisture, minor convergence, and some instability left. Not a washout though, even though a few showers are possible.

Monday looks perfect. Midweek looks wet. Late week look for improvement. Full discussion and forecast for the 7 days Monday through Sunday coming by late evening.

Updated forecast for eastern MA, RI, and southern NH…

TODAY: Variably cloudy. Isolated showers especially inland midday and afternoon. Slight chance of thunderstorms especially near Route 495. High 60-65 except upper 50s coast. Wind light variable, onshore in coastal areas.

TONIGHT: Clouds dissipating with a bright just-beyond-full moon. Areas of valley fog. Low from the lower 40s in deeper valleys to  near 50 at the coast. Wind light variable.

MONDAY: Sunny. High from near 60 at the shore to near 70 over many inland locations. Wind light variable, onshore in coastal areas.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy. PM showers likely. Low 52. High 64.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy. AM showers likely. Low 51. High 62.

THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Scattered showers. Low 50. High 61.

FRIDAY: Partly sunny. Isolated showers. Low 51. High 64.

SATURDAY: Sunny. Low 49. High 68.

7:56AM

Hanging on to lots of clouds today, though cannot rule out a few breaks of sunshine later in the day as dry air starts to work down from the north. Though it does not look like completely clearing tonight, hopefully enough clearing will take place to be able to view the “Super Moon” which is the full moon at perigee (closest it gets to the Earth). This time it is the Full Flower Moon, and if we can see it tonight it will appear about 14% larger and 20% brighter than average, just enough to be noticeable to the naked eye.

2 day break: Sunday & Monday. Splendid days, though it will still be a little cool at the coast as the wind will want to come off the water there. Look for a few areas to reach 70 away from the shore on Monday afternoon.

Back to the gray: What I said recently about a dry spell coming was not quite right. Though we are not getting socked with heavy rain, we’re certainly in a pattern that’s a little more gray and damp than what we saw much of the Spring so far. This will be proven true again as we enter another such stretch of weather on Tuesday that we may struggle to get out of for a few days. At this point I am going to lean away from a big storm and heavy rain that was depicted on some computer guidance and go with a more showery scenario for Tuesday-Thursday, with end-of-week improvement and (peeking ahead) hopes for a great weekend for May 12-13 (which includes Mothers Day).

In the mean time, an updated forecast for eastern MA, RI, and southern NH…

THIS MORNING: Overcast with patchy fog and drizzle and a slight chance of a shower. Temperatures 48-55 rising slowly toward noon. Wind LV mainly NE.

THIS AFTERNOON: Mostly cloudy but a few breaks of sunshine are possible late day. High 60-65 except 55-60 coast. Wind NE-N up to 10 MPH.

TONIGHT: Partly cloudy. Patchy valley fog. Low 43-48 except 38-43 some deeper valleys. Wind light variable.

SUNDAY: Partly sunny. High 55-60 coast, 61-66 inland. Wind N-NE up to 10 MPH.

MONDAY: Sunny. Low 49. High 60 coast to 70 inland.

TUESDAY: Cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 50. High 62.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy. Showers likely. Low 49. High 60.

THURSDAY: Cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 49. High 61.

FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy. Low 47. High 63.

3:17PM

Unsettled and cool weather will continue for the couple days as another disturbance moves through the region. Improvement may come late in the weekend into the start of next week with a sliver of high pressure, but it  looks like a trough and more unsettled weather will rule the weather in southern New England for the balance of next week.

Forecast for RI, eastern MA, and southern NH…

REST OF TODAY: Cloudy. Areas of drizzle. High 50-55. Wind SE under 10 mph.

TONIGHT: Cloudy. Areas of drizzle. Chance of showers after midnight. Low 45-50. Wind S under 10 MPH.

FRIDAY: Cloudy. Showers likely. High 55-60. Wind S up to 10 MPH.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Chance of drizzle. Low 45-50. Wind N under 10 MPH.

SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of drizzle. High 55-60. Wind E up to 10 MPH.

SUNDAY: Partly sunny. Low 44. High 60.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 49. High 66.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Low 52. High 64.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy. AM showers. Low 50. High 60.

THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of drizzle/showers. Low 48. High 58.

1:52AM

An ocean wind and moisture today, a nearby frontal boundary Thursday, and a disturbance moving through from the west Friday into Saturday will all combine to make it a very gray time with a lack of sunshine in southern New England. After a moderate rainfall in much of the region on Tuesday, not much will occur through Thursday. But by Friday, the disturbance from the west may bring some widespread shower activity. Hopefully most of this is gone by Saturday, but it may remain unsettled on that day. Improvement should arrive in the form of at least some sunshine by late in the weekend.

Forecast for eastern MA, RI, and southern NH…

THROUGH THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy. Highs in the 50s except some lower 60s Thursday. Lows in the upper 40s to lower 50s. Wind NE 5-15 MPH Wednesday becoming more variable by Thursday.

FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy. Showers likely. Low 49. High 61.

SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 51. High 63.

SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy. Low 48. High 62.

MONDAY: Partly sunny. Low 47. High 64.

TUESDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 44. High 66.

3:59PM

The month of April 2012 is on its way out after having been on the dry side (except one significant rain event). May will start unsettled with a wet day Tuesday, then lots of clouds dominating with an east wind hanging on for Wednesday, keeping it on the cooler side. Thursday-Friday should feature somewhat warmer air on a more southerly flow. There is some uncertainty as to exactly how the weekend plays out. It may trend cooler and still feature at least some cloudiness. Also keeping a chance of showers in the forecast through the period as we will be near a frontal boundary at times and a few disturbances will pass by. Do not expect widespread, heavy rainfall during the next 7 days.

Forecast for eastern MA, southern NH, and RI…

TONIGHT: Clouding over west to east. Low 43-48. Wind S up to 10 MPH.

TUESDAY: Cloudy. Periods of mostly light rain. Areas of drizzle and patches of fog too. High 48-53. Wind SE 5-15 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. Periods of drizzle. Areas of fog. Low 43-48. Wind E up to 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy. High 53-58. Wind NE 5-15 MPH.

THURSDAY: Partly sunny. Chance of showers. Low 48. High 67.

FRIDAY: Partly sunny. Chance of showers. Low 53. High 72.

SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 51. High 66.

SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy. Low 49. High 64.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 42. High 64.

10:24PM

One more cold night tonight as high pressure builds across the region from the west. Clear skies, slackening winds, and super dry air will allow temperatures to fall to below freezing in many inland areas. The cities and immediate coast will not be quite as cold.

High pressure will bring sunshine and pleasant weather Monday after a cold start to the day.

The first few days of May will be more unsettled as a frontal boundary is nearby. A wave of low pressure will bring showers to the region on Tuesday. Less of a shower threat is seen for Wednesday though clouds may try to hang on if the wind stays off the water. By Thursday-Friday, a more southerly flow will result in warmer weather but there will be some shower risk as additional disturbances move through the region. Still not sure of the timing of showers and any sunshine, so temperature forecasts for the second half of the week are low confidence. It may continue unsettled for at least part of the weekend though no major storms are expected.

Forecast for eastern MA, RI, and southern NH…

TONIGHT: Clear. Frost and freeze away from the coast, especially in valley areas. Low 30-35 most areas except 25-30 inland valleys and 35-40 urban centers and coastline. Wind NW diminishing to under 10 MPH.

MONDAY: Sunshine, filtered at times by high cloudiness especially during the afternoon. High 58-63. Wind variable to SE up to 10 MPH.

MONDAY NIGHT: Thickening cloudiness. Rain arriving from west to east after midnight. Low 45-50. Wind SE up to 10 MPH.

TUESDAY: Cloudy. Rain in the morning, steadiest and possibly moderate southern areas, lighter and more spotty to the north. Patchy light rain and drizzle during the afternoon. High 50-55. Wind E around 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Low 49. High 61.

THURSDAY: Partly sunny. Chance of showers. Low 51. High 68.

FRIDAY: Partly sunny. Chance of showers. Low 53. High 71.

SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 51. High 66.

SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 50. High 64.

11:15AM

Quick forecast update, only change for now is to tweak Wednesday’s high temperature down a little, otherwise not changing anything until re-evaluation of information before I write The Week Ahead post this evening. Have a great Sunday everybody!

Eastern MA, RI, southern NH…

REMAINDER OF TODAY:  Sunny. High 55-60. Wind NW 10-20 MPH with higher gusts.

TONIGHT: Clear. Low from near 30 to near 40, coolest in the valleys and mildest near the coast. Wind NW diminishing to around 10 MPH.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 60. Wind NW up to 10 MPH becoming variable.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Showers likely. Low 47. High 60.

WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny. Low 47. High 63.

THURSDAY: Partly sunny. Low 51. High 71.

FRIDAY:  Variably cloudy. PM showers. Low 53. High 69.

SATURDAY: Partly sunny. AM showers. Low 45. High 59.

5:38PM

No major changes to the previous discussion. Cold front coming through tonight will bring a reinforcing shot of chilly air into southern New England through Sunday night. Both tonight and Sunday night will have frost and freeze risk for much of the region, though freezes are not likely near the coast and in urban centers. The greatest freeze threat will be outside the cities, in rural areas, especially valleys.

The dry and tranquil weather will continue through April’s final day on Monday. As we reach the first few days of May, a milder and slightly unsettled pattern will take hold, but it will still be an overall drier than normal pattern through next week. Shower threats seem to be concentrated on Tuesday and perhaps late Friday for next week, though with these days far enough out to be low-confidence in timing, please check back.

Updated forecast for southern NH, eastern MA, and RI…

TONIGHT: High cloudiness decreasing, clear overnight. Low ranging from the upper 20s inland valleys to upper 30s at the shore and in urban centers. Wind W under 10 MPH, calm in some valleys.

SUNDAY: Other than early clouds possible in southeastern MA and southern RI, sunny. High from the lower 50s in the hills northwest of Boston to the upper 50s interior southeastern MA. Wind NW increasing to 10-20 MPH with higher gusts.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Clear. Low from near 30 to near 40, again coolest in the valleys and mildest near the shore. Wind NW diminishing to around 10 MPH.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny. High near 60. Wind NW up to 10 MPH becoming variable.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Showers likely. Low 47. High 60.

WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny. Low 49. High 69.

THURSDAY: Partly sunny. Low 51. High 71.

FRIDAY:  Variably cloudy. PM showers. Low 53. High 69.

SATURDAY: Partly sunny. AM showers. Low 45. High 59.

2:41AM

Departing low pressure and entering high pressure will set up a dry/cool last few days of April. A reinforcing cold front will move through southern New England Saturday night, but will not carry any precipitation with it.

As May begins next week, there may be a few threats of showers, and it will be milder, but the overall dry pattern will rule as shower threats look like they will be from weak and fast-moving systems.

Forecast for eastern MA, RI, and southern NH…

TODAY: Sunshine, filtered in the afternoon by high cloudiness. High 54-59. Wind W 10-20 MPH.

TONIGHT: A band of middle clouds moving across the region NW to  SE. Low ranging from near 30 inland valleys to near 40 immediate coast. Wind W under 10 MPH.

SUNDAY: Clouds may linger over southeastern MA & RI early otherwise mostly sunny. High 54-59. Wind NW increasing to 10-20 MPH with higher gusts.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Clear. Low from the upper 20s inland valleys to upper 30s coast. Wind NW slowly diminishing to under 10 MPH.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny. High 58-63. Wind W up to 10 MPH.

TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: Variably cloudy with a daily risk of scattered showers. Overnight lows middle 40s to middle 50s. Daytime highs middle 60s to lower 70s.

3:38PM

The whirlpool of unsettled air spinning about the Northeast US will be exiting via southeastern Canada during the next 24 hours as another disturbance travels west to east on a path just south of New England. This will keep slightly unsettled weather in the forecast through Thursday night. After this, a dry spell will return. The disturbance that earlier looked as if it would bring some wet weather Sunday is likely to pass out to sea, south of New England, with high pressure being the main player in the weather starting Friday and lasting well into next week.

Updated forecast for eastern MA, southern NH, and RI…

TONIGHT: Variably cloudy with scattered showers through 11PM, clearing overnight. Patchy frost forming in outlying suburban and rural areas, especially in deeper valleys. Low 33-38 most inland areas, 38-43 coast and urban centers. Wind W diminishing to under 10 MPH.

THURSDAY: Sunshine followed by increasing clouds. Chance of light rain mid afternoon on favoring areas south of the Mass Pike. High from the mid 50s Cape Cod and the Islands to lower 60s near the MA/NH border. Wind S up to 10 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Cloudy through midnight with light to briefly moderate rain along and south of the Mass Pike and periods of lighter rain north of the Mass Pike. Clearing toward dawn. Low 40-45. Wind E 5-15 MPH shifting to N.

FRIDAY: Mostly sunny. High 54-59. Wind NW increasing to 10-20 MPH with higher gusts.

SATURDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 38. High 56.

SUNDAY: Filtered sunshine. Low 39. High 58.

MONDAY: Partly sunny. Low 42. High 56.

TUESDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 37. High 61.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 43. High 63.

4:11PM

Low pressure will continue to spin in the northeastern US into Wednesday before departing via southeastern Canada late Wednesday and Thursday. The center of this low northwest of New England means a mostly southerly wind tonight, shifting more to the west as the low starts to move north of the region during Wednesday. Spokes of energy moving around this low pressure area will cause a chance of showers during this time. Thursday, another low pressure area will move rapidly eastward from the Midwest, bringing a chance of wet weather late day and mainly at night. The track of this low may be just south of the forecast area, which puts us in a risk of a steady period of rain at night, though it does not look like a heavy rain event. This low departs on Friday with drier weather and a gusty wind in its wake. Fair weather is expected Saturday but by Sunday, the next disturbance will return clouds and a chance of showers to the region. A peek into early next week shows mainly fair and slightly milder weather.

Forecast for eastern MA, RI, and southern NH…

TONIGHT: Variably cloudy. Isolated to scattered showers. Low 41-46. Wind S 10-20 MPH gusting around 30 MPH diminishing to 5-15 MPH.

WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny. Isolated to scattered showers. High 55-60. Wind W 10-20 MPH gusting around 25 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Clearing. Low 42-47. Wind W 5-15 MPH.

THURSDAY: Increasing clouds. High 57-62. Wind SE 5-15 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. A period of rain. Low 45-50. Wind E 5-15 MPH.

FRIDAY: Partly cloudy. High 55-60. Wind W 15-25 MPH.

SATURDAY: Partly cloudy. Low 39. High 57.

SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Low 44. High 53.

MONDAY: Partly sunny. Low 42. High 61.

TUESDAY: Mostly sunny. Low 44. High 63.