Had all the makings for a good, stormy afternoon out there today: some humidity, a cool front moving in (at just the right time – late afternoon) and of course, heat.
So why were most of the downpours and storms limited to the Southern NH, the Merrimack Valley and Rt. 2? I find myself answering that question every year – almost in every storm outbreak too. And the answer is the same. That’s just where the all the ingredients came together: hottest air, moderate humidity, and best lift in the atmosphere. Seems to always align from Gardner to Portsmouth, NH. No rhyme or reason. No conspiracy or sinister connection. It’s science in the words of a famous pseudo-news guy.
Late in the evening, the cool air from those storms flowed across Greater Boston and collided with a sea breeze front on the South Shore. It ended up producing the biggest storm of the day in Quincy and Braintree where pea-size hail fell. (So see, sometimes storms do form in other places!)
Cooler air continues to shuffle in this evening. Dry, cool, seasonable air, in fact. We’ll wake to some sun and clouds, but as the cool air pools overhead, the clouds will get the upper hand through midday. More sun expected later in the afternoon.
And that seems to be the theme in the coming days. More sun. More dry weather.
Since February, we’re down almost 4 inches in Boston and over 4 inches in Worcester! We’re getting desperate around here. If this continues, water bans may go into effect. The fact that we’re moving into summer – where we rely on convective precipitation (i.e. storms) – doesn’t help. Storms seldom provide the gentle soaking we need.
We’ll keep you posted.
Pete