A Storm Named Sandy

Posted by Jeremy Reiner

Confidence continues to climb that Sandy will make landfall across southern New Jersey late Monday evening and continue into northwest Pennsylvania on Tuesday. A track that far southwest wouldn't normally be of concern to us but Sandy is an expansive storm. For that reason, we need to prepare for a period of heavy rain & high wind during the day on Monday.

No major changes to my thoughts in regards to Sandy. Here's what I'm thinking:

*Earliest effects from Sandy arrive very early Monday morning with periods of rain & wind (wind gusts 15-30mph)

*The worst from Sandy looks to occur in a window from 9am MONDAY until 2 am TUESDAY. Within this period is our greatest risk of wind damage/power loss. Many towns will experience wind gusts over 40mph during this time & coastal cities & towns may see wind gusts between 50-60mph and even some wind gusts near 70mph out on the Cape/Islands. The concern isn't so much the speed itself but the duration as several hours of just 40mph wind gusts may be able to bring down trees & power lines.

*High tides on Monday...11:30am and again at midnight will have to be watched for the threat of moderate to perhaps major coastal flooding 
along the east coast of Massachusetts. Along the south coast--especially WEST of New Bedford there is a high risk of coastal flooding at the 8:33pm high tide on Monday.

*Rainfall looks manageable. Most towns look to pick up 1-3" of rain Monday-Monday Night. This will likely lead to some urban flooding but not enough for widespread river flooding.

That's Monday & Monday night. Sunday is a gray day that is dry for the most part (a few sprinkles around at times) as well as a developing wind (indirectly related to Sandy) Wind gusts between 15-20 mph are likely along the coast during the afternoon and those gusts will slowly increase during Sunday evening.

updates on twitter www.twitter.com/jreineron7

~Jeremy

Storms, Heat, Sea Breezes

Posted by Pete Bouchard

What a day! Breakneck temperature swings, thunder, tornadoes in Western Mass....and we're still in late May!

More Warmth

Posted by Jeremy Reiner

You have another warm & humid day with many towns repeating yesterday's weather. That means we start with clouds & fog for a bit before hazy sun gets going. That hazy sunshine will boost temps up into the low 80s by early to mid afternoon across much of the region. At the same time a cool front will begin dropping out of Maine (backdoor front) which will quickly send temps from the 70s/80s down into the 50s/60s by late afternoon & evening. Also, when this front rams into the warmth & humidity it will spark a few showers & thunderstorms during the afternoon.

Summ-ah!

Posted by Pete Bouchard

With the snap of the fingers we were thrown into summer this afternoon. Heat, humidity, A/C and shorts - with a hazy sun to boot. But with the sea breeze knocking back the temperatures (and bringing in a round of downpours this evening), there are changes afoot.

Feet First

Posted by Jeremy Reiner

Right into summer. Warm & humid weather expected for much of the week. Good?.....Well, keep in mind that warmth & humidity are the 2 key ingredients for thunderstorms. The last being something to *lift* that warm/humid air. Usually a front is a good device to do such that. Today, we will have a cool front approach New England very late in the day & evening. That may lead to an isolated storm or two after 4pm but most towns just have a fair amount of clouds, warmth & humidity. Temps will climb to near 80 by afternoon.