New England is in the throws of a hairpin turn of weather – from cold to warm – as we sit on the cusp of unseasonably mild air that will stick around all weekend long.
After a chilly Friday morning, a strengthening southwest wind will, by afternoon, gust to 40 mph and will be busy transporting mild air into southern New England, first, where temperatures will rise to near 50 degrees while northern New England holds onto enough cool air to remain closer to 40.
With the wind not shifting for the next few days, the mild air just keeps pouring in – the clash between retreating cold and advancing warmth will keep lots of clouds around each day and night, which also will help to keep temperatures from falling very much during the overnights.
All of this put together sets the stage for temperatures to rise near and, for some, even over 60 degrees both Saturday and Sunday. Though clouds will be a recurring feature of the New England sky this weekend, raindrops will be harder to come by, with nary more than a sprinkle Friday, Friday night and Saturday, except in the North Country, where a few mixed showers fall Friday morning and then a few rain showers fall Friday night through Saturday.
The storm system strengthening to our west and responsible for increasing our warm wind will draw closer Saturday night into Sunday, dragging rain showers into southern and central New England, but clashing with a new stand of incoming cold, Canadian air in the North Country, setting the stage for Saturday night and Sunday morning freezing rain.
In fact, from New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Valley to points north, and northeast into central and northern Maine, a significant ice storm is shaping up Saturday night through Sunday morning, making travel difficult and even raising the possibility of power outages in central Maine.
Farther south, rain showers Sunday morning will be accompanied by a continuing strong southwest wind gusting to 40 mph and even 50 mph on Cape Cod as the accelerating storm departs, making room for emerging afternoon sunshine.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
Most of next week should be warmer-than-normal in our exclusive First Alert 10-day forecast with disturbed weather possible Tuesday, Thursday and – with colder air – by the end of next weekend.
