Well it was warmer today, but just a bit. Temperatures managed low 60s in most spots, but there was a large disparity between our numbers and the South Shore/Cape/Islands where temperatures only made it to the upper 40s to low 50s!
That’s spring for you. Southwest winds off of colder than normal ocean water temperatures kept most of Southeast Mass. in sweater weather. Unfortunately, I don’t see that changing in the days ahead for those coastal communities. And to add insult to injury, low clouds could start to form on Saturday night/Sunday as the temperatures climb elsewhere.
What’s at play is a weak front and an even weaker low pressure system. They combine to give us a cloudier day tomorrow and a heighten the risk for a passing sprinkle. Friday night, there might be even a few steadier showers that form then scoot away around sunup on Saturday. This was the same low/front that I feared would wash out part of Saturday. Fears allayed: the weekend looks brighter and warmer overall.
As this cloud/shower combo plate exits the region, the warmer air quickly fills the void on Sunday. Highs once again tickle – or pass – 70 from Boston to Southern NH. And yes, that heat builds on Monday as we challenge 80 – or in some cases pass it from Fitchburg to Lawrence and Nashua – on a gust wind from the southwest! (Yes, the 50-60 degree footnote continues for the Cape/Islands.)
Yes, it’s a dry heat, but eventually a bit of muggy (did I just type that?) air filters in Monday night. Showers will get us Tuesday, and colder air will snuff out the heat by midweek.
Ready those flip flops!
Pete
As spring turns to summer in the Northern Hemisphere, fall turns to winter south of the Equator. And after a surge in ocean water temperatures in the last few weeks, there’s reason to believe that an El Nino episode is in the makings out in the Pacific.
From the Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology:
It is now likely (estimated at a greater than 70% chance) that an El Niño will develop during the southern hemisphere winter [our summer]. Although the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is currently neutral, surface and sub-surface ocean temperatures have warmed considerably in recent weeks, consistent with a state of rapid transition.
If strong, this event will have far-reaching effects across both hemispheres, possibly effecting our summer weather and certainly our winter weather. Details are few and the questions are many, but at this point, we’re just in a “hurry up and wait” mode as we watch it unfold.
Plenty more on this online and in this blog in the months ahead.
Pete