Another storm in our series of storms arrives overnight. It’ll be with us into tomorrow morning bringing rain, strong wind and once again the potential for flooding. Beyond that it’s mild (in the mid/upper 50s tomorrow), but stays gusty. Then a temperature drop begins Sunday before it’s cold next week.
Let’s dive into our storm. We’re watching this dynamic system that’s prompted Blizzard Warnings, that includes much of Iowa, and severe weather across the South today. The main center of the storm stays to our west. That inland track keeps us on the warmer side of things, so we’ll get mainly rain.
If you’re reading this before you head out for Friday night, don’t worry about the rain gear. The rain arrives past midnight/around 1 am. Initially, this will start as snow and some sleet for the higher elevations. The Berkshires could get 1-3″ of snow, while Northern Worcester County could get closer to an 1″. It won’t last though, because rain will wash it away. Overnight, there will be downpours across our region. The heavy rain will linger through about 9-10 am. I think there’s a chance for a rumble of thunder as well. Beyond that, we’ll trend drier into the afternoon. Rainfall amounts will be between 1-2″ for most of us.
Tomorrow’s rain on top of what is an already saturated ground plus swollen streams and rivers has prompted a Flood Watch. Expect street and poor drainage flooding. Most of our rivers will be in minor flood stage this weekend. The Charles River at Dover will crest right at moderate flood stage tomorrow afternoon.
It’s another night that you might wake up to the wind howling along the coast. Gusts will ramp up out of the southeast past 3 am and stay strong through 9 am. Gusts 40-50+ mph are possible along and near the coast. Winds in that range could lead to isolated power outages. Even once the strongest wind subsides, it’s still going to be a breezy day.
Another big concern will be coastal flooding. A Coastal Flood Warning was expanded from the North Shore down to the South Shore, Cape Cod and the South Coast. We’ll be watching this around tomorrow’s noon high tide. Although the height of the southeast wind comes before high tide, the storm comes around an astronomically high tide with the New Moon. Major flooding is possible at Hampton Beach north along the coast into Maine. Below is a hydrograph that shows the tide cycles. The water level that was reached during Wednesday’s storm is near the level forecasted for tomorrow around noon. Take caution and plan for similar impacts as you experienced earlier in the week.
Once the storm exits our area, if you don’t mind the gusty breeze, it’ll be a decent day! Temperatures head for the mid/upper 50s with some breaks of sun through the afternoon. Behind this storm, we’ll get a drop in temperatures. We’ll be in the upper 30s/near 40 Sunday. There will be some leftover energy and moisture to prompt some flurries Sunday night. We’re dry Monday. Then a coastal storm will tap into the colder air bringing us some snow showers Tuesday and into Wednesday. Down the road, another storm looks possible early next weekend.
-Meteorologist Melanie Black
