Quite the return to above normal temps today. Steady (and occasionally gusty) southwest winds turned the tide and scoured out the cold air across Southern New England starting last night. Coupled with some afternoon sun, the result was a close brush with 70 in Norwood, Taunton, Springfield and Providence.Tomorrow we’re not as mild, but those same spots may be in the low 60s before a back door front sends temps south and tightens up the afternoon clouds.
First off, those highs you see in the map to the right are a little misleading. Sure, we may hit those by late morning in most spots, but by late afternoon, we’ll find ourselves consumed by clouds – and perhaps a growing fog bank – with a cool east wind. This is courtesy of that aforementioned front – notoriously efficient at cooling us off in a matter of hours.
Then, after a murky start Thursday, the pendulum swings again. With a limited supply of afternoon sun, we’ll make another run at the 70 degree mark in some spots. All told, with fronts swinging back and forth, we only have about a 30% chance at any rain.
So it’s soapbox time…where I harp on the fact that we’re below normal…in fact, WAY below normal in the precipitation department. The numbers to the right speak for themselves. A good soaking would be nice in the short term, but at this point, it seems a major pattern-altering needs to be in order long term. One that could mean more overall precipitation across the country, since most of our weather systems travel from west to east. A simple infusion of Gulf of Mexico moisture into our weather systems doesn’t seem to be cutting it. Moisture everywhere seems limited – except in South Carolina.
That’s it. That’s all. Carry on.
Pete