Our 90-degree count is a little bit lopsided so far this year. It’s been northern New England that’s been warmer than central and southern New England. At the top spot is Burlington, Vermont, with three days at or above 90 degrees, followed by Manchester, New Hampshire, Concord, New Hampshire, and Caribou, Maine, which have all hit 90 degrees twice.
In southern New England, the only official observation point to hit 90 degrees was Hartford, Connecticut. We’ve had plenty of days in the 80s, but it has never quite reached 90 in Boston, Massachusetts, Providence, Rhode Island, or Worcester, Massachusetts.
Much warmer times are ahead, though, and it’s possible that we could see a heat wave late in the week and into the weekend ahead.
This dry weather has been a blessing for outdoor dining, but lawns are drying up in these increasingly dry conditions will be trying for farmers. It’s likely that parts of northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire will be upgraded to a moderate drought. The prospects of a half inch of rain over the next 10 days are very low. Yes when we heat up, thunderstorms will be possible with the increased humidity, but they don’t guarantee widespread heavy rain.
This week will start off cool the temperatures in the 60s on the coast line and 70s not too far away from the shore. Don’t let the cool start fool you: by Wednesday we expect seasonable temperatures to return with a significant warm up by Thursday. The warmer stretch will be between Friday and Monday.
