Heat was bearing down again today in Southern New England. The only exception: Southeast Mass. where a stubborn layer of clouds kept the heat in check. (See pic to right.)

Storms fired today and raced to the Berkshires and The Connecticut River Valley. They had fire in their bellies as they produced gusty winds and large hail. But they also are getting a little too far ahead of themselves. The front that is their lifeblood is lagging behind and the farther they run ahead, the more likely they will fade. That’s not to say they completely drop off the radar. They should do that as they move down Rt. 2 to Fitchburg and down the Pike to Worcester, but it takes time to unwind these things. 

Nevertheless, we don’t have a chance of seeing them tonight in Eastern Mass. Today was literally a dry run for us with the storms. Tomorrow, that front is closer, and our chances increase any time after lunch. Keep an eye to the sky for threatening weather and prepare to take cover.

Looking down the road a piece…cooler air is in route on Friday. Yes, as its name suggests, the cool front passing through tomorrow afternoon will do just that – drop us to normal for a change. It’s short-lived however, as the heat builds for the first part of the weekend….aka Saturday.

Sunday and beyond it’s a whole new world for us. Clouds, showers…not like what we’ve seen before. Will we adjust or whither? Just kidding. Some may be singing in the streets: with rainfall deficits of 5-6+ inches, any water is good water…even on a weekend.

Pete


The flooding in the Southern Plains has been nothing short of biblical in the last few days. As far as rainfall goes, the amounts have been measured in feet, not inches. With poor drainage soils and relatively flat land, the water has nowhere to go. In terms of climate, a known connection was evident to tropical plumes associated with El Nino in the Eastern Pacific early last week. While El Nino is a naturally occurring warm phase of the Southern Oscillation, 10-16 inches of rain is not. Thanks to a warmer atmosphere, thunderstorms are prolific water makers these days. This is a case where global warming has manifested itself over normal climate variation. This is a super high resolution satellite image time lapse of the storms that formed over Texas on the 25th.

  This is another high resolution image comparing the before and after on the Arkansas River.

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