Weather

Enjoy the brief respite from the humidity… it will return soon enough

Humid air and storms are expected Friday, and parts of New England could receive 1-3 inches of rain that lead to localized flooding

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Not only is the air in New England more comfortable Thursday, but for the Boston Metro area, Thursday morning was the most comfortable start to the day since June 23 – some 27 days ago! 

This comfort level is measured by the dew point temperature – a measure of the amount of moisture in the air – and while a dew point temperature in the middle 60s feels humid, dew points lately have been in the 70s, which feels downright tropical. 

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When Boston’s dew point hit 59 degrees predawn Thursday, this was the lowest overall since June – we briefly did the same thing on July 12 – but it was the lowest we’ve had in the morning to start the day. 

Although this comfortable air won’t last long, replaced by new humidity Friday, it is expected to return over the weekend. In the interim, not only does dry air feel great, but on Thursday it looks great, too, with lots of sunshine regionwide. 

By late afternoon to early evening, some inland fair weather cumulus clouds may deliver an isolated shower to eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island or adjacent southern Worcester County, but that’s only a 20-30% chance for that area, as well as a chance of a late day shower in northwest Maine. 

Most of us not only cruise through a bright and dry day, but stay relatively comfortable for sleeping again Thursday night. Clouds increase late at night as humidity mounts a comeback to New England, both from the west and from the south. 

The increasing humidity moving over the Atlantic may touch off an isolated Friday morning shower in eastern New England, but the more widespread morning rain will be associated with the push of humid air from the west, pushing early Friday downpours and thunder from Upstate New York into western and northern New England, where rounds of showers and thunder will come and go over the day. 

Western and northern New England could receive 1-3 inches of rain that lead to localized flooding.

Farther south and east, the focus will shift toward late day and evening, when scattered thunder will feed off the humid air for heavy rain, frequent lightning and perhaps some damaging wind gusts. These storms will focus ahead of a cold front – the leading edge to new, less humid air set to arrive for all but Cape Cod on Saturday, reducing but not entirely eliminating the chance of a shower, as isolated Saturday morning showers are still a possibility. Overall, Saturday will be a good day for most, especially with the afternoon featuring increasing comfort and increasing sun. 

Sunday and Monday look splendid before heat and humidity steadily return over the midweek, expanding out of the central and southern U.S., reaching a peak in New England with temperatures in the 90s for the second half of the week in our exclusive First Alert 10-day forecast. 

Meanwhile, for those who love the beach and have noticed cooler ocean water at the start of this week, the water temperatures have already been climbing and will continue to rise over the next couple of days, as a mild pool of water that had been blown offshore slowly returns to the beaches with the upcoming gentle onshore wind.

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