New England's noteworthy absence of winter weather continues for at least the next few days for some — and beyond that for many in the southern half of New England.
The theme of New England's weather in the coming days is gloomy and unsettled, as we're positioned between a series of storms from southern Canada to the southeast United States, all contributing to lots of clouds in the coming days and periods of showers and rain, except in the Crown of Maine, where snow and ice showers will fall.
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The northern tip of Maine is closest to the cold air locked across the Canadian border in Quebec. And while that cold air will slowly seep southward as we near the weekend, the short term forecast remains significantly milder-than-normal.
Mild doesn't always equate to pleasant weather, especially not this time of the year, with the incoming warmth and increasing moisture resulting in days of clouds and each disturbance, or weak storm center, focusing periods of rain as they drift by.
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One such disturbance runs across central and northern New England Thursday midday into afternoon resulting in pockets of rain with stubborn mountain fog, while another disturbance on its heels arrives to southern New England late Thursday evening and overnight, focusing a new round of rain there.
All the while, the increasing moisture will thicken fog Wednesday night that will linger into Thursday, coupled with an increasing northeast wind that will be devoid of cold air, but will certainly add a raw feeling to an already moist day, and the moist air will increase joint pain through the end of the week for those who suffer from aches and pains.
The passage of the weak storm center will mean rain breaks into showers Thursday afternoon, but New England won't be done with atmospheric disturbances, as another is predicted to cross the region Friday, producing new scattered showers.
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One change to the weather setup Friday, however, is a southward push of cold air in Northern New England, likely to change rain showers to snow showers in much of Maine north of the turnpike, as well as the North Country of New Hampshire and the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont into the Green Mountains.
By Saturday, when yet another atmospheric disturbance prompts showers, enough cold air will be in place for mostly snow showers in northern New England, while southern New England will find another day of scattered rain showers. Sunday — New Year's Eve Day — finally breaks the pattern: enough dry air arrives for a fair sky!
Dry weather is expected New Year's Eve for nearly all of New England with temperatures generally in the 30s, falling into the 20s overnight for some, then another fair day is likely on New Year's Day, though a few snow showers may develop in the mountains.
Thereafter, our exclusive First Alert 10-day forecast shows a near or slightly warmer-than-normal week next week, though cooler than this week, with a chance of rain and snow showers Thursday.
