A Perfect Summer Day!
It just doesn't get any better than this. It is a perfect summer day for outside activities at the beach, on the boat, on the fairways, on the trails, etc. There are so many outside choices on a day like today. My favorites for the day are biking, kayaking, hiking and bodysurfing but I can't squeeze in all of them. The only stress is picking which one(s) to do! Do you have the same problem? LOL. After working the morning shift, I certainly will not have enough time to hit the hiking trails in the northern mountains. That is a bummer because the visibility is so superb and the summit winds are light. Check out Mount Washington where the observer there has seeing between 90 and 130 miles in the past 24 hours! Or check out the nice breakers on Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod. With a sprawling zone of high pressure in control, radiational cooling was enhanced and many outlying locations started dawn in the 40s to lower 50s. Via brilliant sunshine, it will warm up more than 30 degrees many areas for afternoon highs in the lower 80s except closer to the beaches where a persistent sea breeze around 10 mph or so will hold the temperatures in the range of 75-78. The sky will feature a few streamers and filaments of feathery clouds and that is just about it as the air remains dry from the ground up through the atmosphere. The ocean temperatures are running in the range of 66-72. The tide is high a bit after 3 pm and the seas remain slight although a few higher groundswells are transiting the ocean.
The weather deteriorates later tonight and remains unsettled for about 3 days. That doesn't mean that it will be washed out. Instead, two disturbances which have emanated in the Pacific Ocean south of CA will be creating our weather changes in the days ahead. These short waves have been riding through the steering currents around the periphery of a strengthening high pressure system centered over the Plains states where an intensifying heat wave is in the works. The first wave now releasing showers and storms over the upper Great Lakes into south central Canada will track southeastward and deliver some badly needed rain in places over New England tomorrow. The first showers could be arriving northwest of Boston around dawn. A solid shield of rain is unlikely so intervals of brightening between the showers and storms are probable throughout the day. It will become more humid and it will warm up to near or slightly over 80 despite the coverage of clouds. Once this first wave departs, there should be a lull on Tuesday when nothing more than a few isolated cells could pop off. The next more vigorous wave is slated to impact the region on Wednesday with a scattering of heavier showers and boomers.
Looking ahead, after its exit, drier and breezy conditions will be here on Thursday as a high pressure system moves in our direction from central Canada. The way it looks right now, it will provide generally sunny weather through the holiday weekend. In fact, the high pressure system will build to the south of the region. As this is happening, some of the sizzling weather may indeed be steered eastward into the Northeast from the summer's first real heat wave in the Plains states. Consequently, although not etched in stone yet, hot stuff could be on the way for at least a couple of days during the first week of September. It is most likely to occur on Labor Day and the day after when temperatures might be in the range of 90-95! UGH! Keep the fans and air conditioners handy. So, after NO days at 90 degrees or higher in Boston in August which is the first such August since 2008, the city could get a couple in September. In 2010, there was a 5-day heat wave from August 29-September 2 with high temperatures at 94, 92, 96, 94 and 95 respectively! Last year, there were 2 days at 90 or higher in August and none in September.
Joe Joyce posts his blog early this evening and Todd Gutner begins his duty as weekday morning meteorologist tomorrow. Eric Fisher, the new member of the WBZ AccuWeather Team, starts his duty as the weekday evening meteorologist tomorrow. I will be subbing for Todd next Friday morning.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
