Can we re-write that childhood song, “Rain, Rain, go away! Come again another day!” We’ll have to change the lyrics to, “Rain, Rain, come and play! We need you most every day!” We’ve shown you our “drought monitor” graphic so many times during the forecast… You’re probably tired of seeing it. Extreme drought conditions throughout 128, up through the Merrimac Valley. It’s almost as if we can’t buy a raindrop these days, as August has only seen 0.82″ (1.44″ below normal) and we’re already 2/3 of the way through this month! We do have rain on the way tonight and while we will take every drop we can get, we’ll still have a LONG ways to go. This summer is on track to go down in the books as the DRIEST on record.
Alright, enough harping on the drought for tonight. Let’s talk about more upbeat things, like the rain we’re expecting tonight! Worcester County may get some showers before midnight, but the real rain/storms event doesn’t really get going until after midnight. This rain is tracking ahead of a cold front, and will sweep through the area through the overnight hours and into the very early hours of Monday morning.
Did you notice the dewpoints on the increase today? Started to feel more humid as we made it into the evening hours? This is Mother Nature’s way of “prepping” our atmosphere for the rain that’s on the way. I’ve used the analogy before, but it’s like getting a dish-rag or sponge really wet and then squeezing it out, wringing out all available moisture in the sponge. Most areas are expected to see between 0.25″-0.50″ of rain, but the spots that get the downpours/storms to set up could see 1-1.5″+ of rainfall. This will be enough rain to cause ponding on the roadways for Monday morning, and possibly even areas with poor drainage could see some flooding issues. This is something to keep in mind for the early morning commute. Unfortunately, all of this comes along with the chance for BOOMERS – so yes, you may get woken up in the middle of the night by the dog, cat, kids, “thunder-buddy”… etc. The rain could even still be pumping over the I95 corridor to cause some problems for early morning commuters. However – if you don’t get onto the roads until about 8am, or so, you should be good. The rain pushes out and takes the clouds and humidity with it! Monday will quickly shape up to be a very nice day, with highs in the upper 70s to near 80 and a NW breeze.
Tuesday looks very similar with dry conditions, sunshine and “seasonable” temps (that’s the word we use when temperatures are expected to be close to “seasonal averages”). A warming trend starts to become apparent by Wednesday, and we could be flirting with 90° by the time Friday rolls around. That’s also our next chance for any showers/storms, but it doesn’t look too promising at this point; only about a 20-30% chance.
Now, quickly checking in with the Tropics: Tropical Storm Fiona is still holding onto her “Tropical Storm” status with winds of 40mph. However, Fiona is expected to weaken to a Tropical Depression overnight tonight. We’re really entering into the most active part of hurricane season now (late August through September). So, as you might imagine, there are a couple of areas we’re watching that have potential to develop into something.
The next Tropical Storm will be named “Gaston.” As always, we’ll continue to keep you posted. – Breezy