We’ve been cold all weekend long (I finally turned on the heater in the house for the first time of the season) and temps won’t really rebound until we make it well into next week. However, a warm front will move through with some wet weather tomorrow that will make for a wacky Monday.
Showers will turn on around 2AM, but temps at that point will be cold enough for some sleet and/or freezing rain (maybe even a few snowflakes) outside of 495, in the higher terrain of Worcester County. The National Weather Service in Taunton has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for those areas, for the potential for ice accretion. While our lows will get below freezing in the suburbs, they shouldn’t stay there for very long. This system is expected to turn over to an all-rain event around the time most of us will be commuting to work in the morning. Nevertheless, I always say “prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” so it’s not a bad idea to set the alarm for a few minutes earlier tomorrow morning to check on the commute before you head out the door. No sense in being late to work!
Rain will be on again, off again as we make it through Monday with the heaviest rain expected in the late afternoon/evening hours. That’s also when the wind will really pick up. Gusts up to 50-60 mph are expected for the Cape and islands. Coastal areas will be windy too, with sustained winds 20-30 mph and gusts possible up to 40-50. We aren’t so concerned with coastal flooding with this wind and rain, because luckily the wind will be out of the south. Inland, I just expect a strong breeze.
What’s really wacky about all of this is the temperature forecast. The warm front I mentioned is moving in relatively late in the day, and while it could bring temps on the Cape up to the low 60s (crazy, right?), Boston and the surrounding areas will stay in the 50s, and the central part of the state may not even make it up to 50 before the sun goes down. Maybe that’s a good thing… it would be a shame for Mother Nature to trick us into thinking we’re headed into more seasonable weather… and then drop the floor out from underneath us on Wednesday! Highs in the middle of the week will struggle to get above freezing.
Question: I have yet to find an umbrella that is “New England weather-proof” and by that I mean an umbrella that can withstand the WIND that comes along with the RAIN. Any suggestions?? We’ll all need one of those tomorrow!
Keep the winter coat handy, and GO PATS!
– Bri