Other than a few isolated showers this morning, it was a relatively quiet day through the mid afternoon with occasional hazy sun breaking through the clouds as a soupy air mass settles in. It’s just a matter of time before this soupy air mass produces showers and storms with heavy rain and gusty winds.
In fact, a flash flood watch is posted for all of Massachusetts, with the exception of the Cape and Islands, until Wednesday. The watch expires Wednesday at 2PM for central and eastern Mass, 8AM for the western part of the state. It won’t rain the entire time, but when it does, the showers and storms can produce a lot of water in a short period of the, thus the possibility of flash flooding.
What we’re watching for late today and tonight will be scattered showers and storms working in from our southwest, providing the occasional downpour and perhaps gusty wind. The best instability to our atmosphere moves in overnight, however, with the lack of daytime heating, the severe threat isn’t as high it would be if it moved in during the afternoon. With that said, an isolated severe storm is not out of the question, but the more widespread threat tonight is locally heavy rain at times in towns that do get hit.
Tuesday morning starts off humid and mostly cloudy with an isolated leftover shower or two. I do expect some breaks in the action again at times, with a renew chance for more storms breaking out in the afternoon and evening. With the highest instability and energy of the atmosphere coinciding with the daytime heating, the threat for severe thunderstorms, and damaging wind gusts, is greater tomorrow afternoon/early evening vs. what we see today. Severe storms are most likely across the western half of the state, southern NH, CT, and southern VT, but even in eastern Mass, we’ll have to keep an eye to the sky. Heavy rain in any storm that forms is also a concern.
While storms are in and out tonight, tomorrow and tomorrow night, it appears that Wednesday morning is the best chance for non-stop rain as a cold front finally pushes through. Rain will be heavy at times in the morning, perhaps slowing down the morning commute. Rain tapers off in the afternoon from west to east. By the time it’s all said and done, many towns pick up 2-3″ of rain over the next few days. Higher totals are possible in a few towns, especially over the western and central portions of the state.
Enjoyable weather is back with us Thursday, lasting into most of the weekend.
We’ll keep you updated on-air and online the next couple days.
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