forecast

Incoming Storms to Make for a Wet Memorial Day Weekend

New England’s Memorial Day weekend forecast features a series of storms

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Although Thursday began humid for most of central and southern New England, drier air from the north has steadily been filtering south on a fresh breeze. That air means the humidity will decrease substantially over the course of the day while clouds sweep away.

There's enough warmth behind for high temperatures around 80 degrees for many, closer to 70 in the North Country. Dry air cools quickly with the loss of sunshine, though, and overnight low temperatures are expected to drop into the 40s for many. The air will turn so cold in northern New England that frost warnings have been issued by the government for growers to protect plants and crops with lows around and below freezing! 

There’s no question the dry and cool nature of this air will have a major impact on New England’s Memorial Day weekend forecast. A series of storms will pass to our south and east, moisture will plume north, and when dry air is moistened, it cools.

Friday stays dry most of the day but clouds increase markedly from midday onward, holding temperatures in the 60s for most. Rain arrives for central and southern New England Friday afternoon, evening and night, generally developing from west to east and continuing through Saturday morning.

Although an inch and a half of rain is expected in southern New England, amounts will drop off significantly from central Vermont and New Hampshire to southern Maine, points north, where less rain falls.

In fact, Saturday afternoon will be drying for many – with skies clearing late Saturday into Saturday night in northern New England. Though communities within about 20 miles of the coastline will probably still find pockets of drizzle lingering in spots through Saturday afternoon with an onshore, northeast wind blowing cool air across the ocean water. 

Highs Saturday are only expected to reach the 50s for most, with stubborn clouds and perhaps still some pockets of coastal drizzle overnight Saturday night in southern New England. The steady onshore wind will churn our coastal waters, building seas as high as ten feet by Saturday evening into Sunday morning. Boaters will need to be experienced and have a big enough boat to handle the seas this weekend outside of our bays, harbors, sounds and inlets.

Another developing storm center at the surface, combined with approaching atmospheric energy aloft, will encourage showers to blossom northward on Sunday, arriving to the Cape and South Coast during breakfast and spreading north through the day, lasting into Memorial Day Monday morning. 

Some of the finer details certainly can change in the coming days. But if all goes as planned, Memorial Day may end up totally dry in western New England, including the Berkshires and Green Mountains. Morning rain will likely give way to some clearing in the eastern half of New England, allowing temperatures to rebound into the 60s. This is something our First Alert Team will monitor in the days ahead.

Of course, as luck would have it, our weather improves immediately after the Memorial Day holiday, though we should see a renewal of humidity and a resultant chance of thunder for the end of next week.

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