The Weekend Prospects

After yesterday's changeable weather of fog to showers to sunshine to thunderstorms to possible funnel clouds and perhaps one brief touchdown, tranquility will reign today. We will await the official assessment from an investigative meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton on whether the damage  in Stoughton was produced by a tornado or a small microburst. A review of some of the videos taken by spotters suggest that there was weak rotation and the appearance of funnel clouds. The atmospheric conditions, however, were NOT conducive for typical tornadic development so we shall see what the findings reveal today.

This morning's dense fog is burning off quickly and the low cloudiness will also disappear from west to east during the morning commute. Bright sunshine will take over and send temperatures rapidly to the middle 70s by noon. Afternoon highs close to 80 will be common except along the coast where a sea breeze is apt to set in to cause cooling back through the 70s perhaps into the upper 60s at the coastline. There is ample moisture available to trigger some puffy cloud development from midday on but there is little support for any showers in southern New England. Way up north, there is potential for a few spotty showers and perhaps a boomer especially over the hillier areas and over the mountains. Today's wind will freshen to 6-12 mph mainly from the south-southwest but a southeasterly direction along the coast is likely.

Part of the weekend will be changeable like yesterday and most of that will happen tomorrow when more showers and thunderstorms will enter the region from the west. A warm frontal boundary will likely set off the action in the morning followed by an approaching cold front doing the same later in the afternoon and evening. It will become rather windy and humid with highs in the middle to upper 70s assuming some sunshine materializes between the batches of showers and storms. The first cold frontal boundary will pass off the coast later tomorrow night with drier air flowing in behind. So the stage is set for more peaceful conditions on Mother's Day. There is one problem and that is a second cold front which will push through the region at midday into the early afternoon. This feature does not contain the support of its predecessor so I am only expecting some patches of clouds with a risk of a brief shower just prior to the frontal passage. It will become breezy from the west in the afternoon as the temperatures max out near 70 degrees before turning cooler later in the afternoon.

Looking ahead, an upper level trough of low pressure will probably produce some patches of clouds Monday afternoon with highs then in the lower 60s. There is a slight risk of a sprinkle or light shower from the Worcester hills north and west. The energy in this trough will cause a storm to bloom offshore Monday night into Tuesday. Most of its cloud shield and rain will stay out over the ocean and roll up over the Canadian Maritimes and perhaps far downeast ME. Similar highs in the lower 60s are likely Tuesday followed by slightly milder weather next Wednesday and Thursday. An approaching warm frontal boundary from the west will create the next parcel of clouds on those two days with the risk of a few showers on Thursday. It remains to be seen if some real warm air surges into our area a week from today.

Todd Gutner posts his blog early this evening, Joe Joyce is here all this weekend and I shall return early Monday morning.

Have a great weekend and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!