West wind brought the goods today. Another day in the low 70s with plenty of dry air. We have another dry day tomorrow – albeit cooler – before we talk about a mini coastal storm and a bout of moderate – and possibly heavy – rain.
As suggested in the blog title, this forecast is taking a ‘right turn’ because our storm is being steered in the right direction to give us exactly what we need in this deepening drought: a soaking rain. In fact, this could be a foliage-saving event unfolding as the trees are so stressed from drought, leaves are dying and dropping, not holding and turning.
Recall yesterday when I was holding off the storm until I saw signs that it was drifting our way. Thanks to a slight nudge in the WEAK upper steering currents, we get a chance for a good drink of water. Rain should move in early on Thursday with a slow spread into Southern New Hampshire by afternoon. The question becomes, how much are we talking?
With a humid, moisture-laden airmass swirling about the storm, the potential is there for heavy rain – predominately in the driest part of the Commonwealth: Southeast Mass. As shown on the right, there is a good chance for a lot of water, but I’m a little shy on promising up to 2″ of rain across all of SE Mass. I worry that with another nudge, the heaviest rain could be out over the fish, and the rest of us come away with little more than a couple of puddles – with a sharp cutoff from South (steady rain) to North (drops). Yeah, I’m glad this isn’t snowstorm too…although it IS good practice for the months ahead.
Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. Even a quarter or half inch of rain is welcome news. We’re at least on paper for that. The heavier amounts still seem to be on the bubble.
Pete