Under blazing sun, we did it again. Upper 80s were splattered across outer Rt. 2 and the southern end of 495. Namely, Fitchburg and Taunton. The immediate shoreline was tickled by a fickle sea breeze, but still managed to touch 80 in spots.
Up until now, we’ve managed to keep the humidity at bay, but that will change in the next 24hrs. Sticky air is on the move with a stirring southwest wind, and it promises to be every bit as muggy as the last bout we had over Labor Day Weekend.
Over the years, we’ve schooled you on the dewpoint temperatures (i.e. the higher the number, the more humid the air). So with values near 70 degrees late Friday and most of Saturday, we’re going to sweat it out. It’s this same moisture that will be available to thunderstorms late on Saturday too. Keep an eye to the sky for strong – and possibly severe – weather Saturday afternoon. Primary threat will be torrential rain (a given in any summer storm these days) and gusty winds.
The big turnaround comes in the second half of the weekend. Sunday is bathed in sun and much cooler air as the wind freshens from the north/northwest. These are the September days we’ve come to know and love here in New England, so make plans to get out and enjoy.
There is the other side of the story, however. Dry days are hardly a time for celebrating when your lawn is burnt and the garden is failing. The good news: long range charts are seeing beneficial rains on Tuesday and Wednesday. Bad news: they should be in “downpour form”. I’m concerned for sudden flooding and the possibility that most of the water is lost to runoff, instead of percolating into the ground.
We’ll watch and see how it evolves in the coming days.
Pete