Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued Wednesday evening in parts of southern New England, but they have since expired.
Click here for the latest weather alerts.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
For days our First Alert Team has been tracking a large, swirling storm center at the jet stream level over the Great Lakes – Wednesday is the day it makes its move east, carrying a pool of cold air thousands of feet in altitude.
The presence of cold air aloft is important, because it contrasts with the relative warmth at ground level of high temperatures in the 70s to around 80 degrees, and this means building and billowing cumulus clouds during the afternoon, replacing ample morning sunshine. As the energetic upper level storm center approaches Wednesday mid-afternoon in western New England, and early evening east, rounds of showers and thunderstorms will develop.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
Fueled by the cold air aloft, ice crystals at the top of the clouds will promote lightning strikes, so it’s important to remember “when thunder roars, go indoors” – if you can hear thunder, lightning is close enough to be a threat. Additionally, the presence of relatively dry air in the middle levels of the atmosphere will create some localized gusty wind near the center of some storms, with the potential for a few gusts to exceed 50 mph and cause isolated pockets of wind damage, while the aforementioned ice in the clouds also may produce some hailstones in heavier downpours!
With time of arrival around 6:30 to 7 p.m. in the City of Boston, the Red Sox game at Fenway may be impacted by rain for a delay, though it’ll depend on precisely where downpours hit. Showers diminish quickly after sunset for partial clearing and patchy fog Wednesday night, leading to a blend of sun and clouds Thursday. With New England between disturbances Thursday – one departing and another just entering the Great Lakes – the chance of showers isn’t zero, but is more limited than recent days, and the increase in sunshine will help push temperatures to around 80 degrees.
The next incoming disturbance arrives Friday, meaning sun and clouds will give way to blossoming clouds again, then afternoon and evening showers and thunder – and with this disturbance moving almost as slowly as its predecessors, expect renewed rounds of passing showers and thunder Saturday. It’s worth noting that none of these days appear to deviate from our recent pattern: days won’t be raining throughout, but rather will feature variable breaks of sun with showers and thunder that come and go.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
As the disturbance slowly exits on Father’s Day, yet again our chance of showers drops a bit – not to zero, but enough to bring home of some measurable improvement. This time, there are signals in our exclusive First Alert 10-day forecast that the improved weather may actually last a few days into early next week, with an onshore wind keeping temperatures comfortable, and coolest at the coast.
