Welcome to the first day of September and the beginning of meteorological fall. Astronomically, the autumnal equinox doesn’t occur until 10:49am on the 22nd. I was surprised to learn that this is actually the earliest start of fall since 1896! As much as I look forward to autumn, it is always somewhat sad initially when September starts because that really signifies the conclusion of summer.

Check: Live Radar | Current Conditions | Weather Blog 

There are so many great things about summer and enjoying all the outdoors activities but I am ready to move on from the muggy and hot weather in hopes of seeing a much more vibrant fall foliage season than what materialized last year. How about ou? After slightly below average temperatures this June, it was above average in July but not as hot as last July and hotter this August than last year. Boston recorded 12 days at 90 degrees or higher which was one less than last year and 13 less than 2010. Interestingly, it was much hotter in much of the area away from the sea breezes northwest of Boston this summer with double the number of 90-degree days. There were no September days at or above 90 last year with 2 in the books for 2010. Presently, the projected pattern is unfavorable for any sizzling weather through the middle of this month.

In the more immediate future, our holiday weekend will be satisfactory for most folks as temperatures max out in the middle 70s along the coast to some lower 80s well away from the ocean through Labor Day. Today’s freshening northeasterly wind to 12-22 mph will become more easterly and decrease a bit later in the afternoon. Patches of puffy clouds will rule the sky in places especially farther inland where the lower-level winds will drive them. I cannot rule out a few isolated or widely scattered showers but there isn’t a great amount of instability for much action. With a drying air mass, it will be cooler tonight amidst the bright moonshine as temperatures fall to the range of 55-65. After that, a disturbance in the upper levels may trigger a few more isolated or widely scattered showers perhaps with thunder tomorrow otherwise there will be a mix of sunshine and clouds with temperatures in the lower to middle 70s along the coast to the upper 70s inland. Expect similar temperatures with a lower risk of any showers on Labor Day. Beyond that, moist remnants of Isaac combined with a digging short wave into the Northeast will result in more widespread heavier showers and spotty thunderstorms late Monday night and Tuesday when it will be more humid again. There will probably be some local downpours. This feature will exit Tuesday night but Wednesday may commence damp then some spells of sunshine should ensue certainly for the afternoon with highs near 80. Thursday and Friday might be somewhat unsettled with lots of clouds and a risk of a few showers. The following weekend should turn out generally sunny with light winds underneath a dome of high pressure yielding highs near the middle 70s along the coast to near 80 farther inland.

The tropical storm/hurricane season peaks out, on average, in about 10 days. There is some action now way out over the Atlantic with weakening Kirk and strengthening Leslie. Both systems will remain far out to sea. In the last few days, there was a possibility that a weird blocking setup could steer Leslie near Bermuda then on a close path to the New England coastline. Now that scenario seems highly unlikely and that is very good news! For detailed information, logon to the National Hurricane Center.

Unless there are any changes in the above, I will post my next blog Sunday morning as I substitute for the vacationing Joe Joyce. Other than Melissa Mack subbing on the 11pm WBZ News today, I will be covering all shows and social media through tomorrow and again later in the day on Monday.

Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend.