Good morning folks, today we start our climb into an early summer pattern for about a week prior to being brought back down to an April reality by a cold front next Sunday night. So while I don’t think we’re just slamming into Summer, we will get quite a taste of it this week. To think that tomorrow some of us will crest 80º when last Tuesday we saw accumulating snow in the morning – welcome to New England!

For today, we should remain mostly cloudy with breezy conditions developing as the day goes along, especially by afternoon when southwest wind gusts are expected to reach 30-45mph at times as temps come up into the mid 60s to mid 70s for highs across the greater WMass region.

In addition, some isolated to widely scattered showers will hit or miss us at times, especially by this afternoon and/or evening, though many of us will remain dry.

Lows tonight will dip into the upper 40s to mid 50s.

As we move into the mid-week period, an upper ridge in the southeast U.S. will be climbing the coastline Tuesday through Thursday, and this along with surface high pressure to our southeast will pump the heat into New England.

For our Tuesday, this heat will fuel the potential for some stronger thunderstorms by afternoon, especially in Berkshire, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties in WMass up into SVT as a wave pushes through and acts on growing heat and some instability.

Highs Tuesday look to soar into the mid 70s to mid 80s under partly to mostly sunny skies, which will set the stage for some isolated to scattered thunderstorm development by mid-afternoon.

Any storms could contain isolated strong wind gusts up to 60mph, so I will be monitoring trends later and tomorrow.

Some scattered showers or a storm will be possible late Tuesday afternoon and overnight with lows in the mid to upper 50s.

Wednesday and Thursday look very warm as well with similar temps to Tuesday, though I will be monitoring the southwestward progression of a backdoor cold front which (given impulses traveling east along a front up near the Canadian border) may drop colder air towards SWNH, CMass and/or northeast CT, with the valley likely staying very warm.

So, for now Wed. & Thurs highs should again be in the mid 70s to mid 80s with lows in the 55-60º range, with a few scattered showers possible each afternoon and evening.

By Friday into Saturday, the upper ridge that was climbing the coastline and pushing heat towards our region will be receding southward, leaving us with highs in the 70s for the most part and low sin the low to mid 50s with drier and sunnier conditions expected.

Sunday also looks very mild to warm with highs in the mid 60s to low 70s, but clouds will be increasing ahead of a strong cold front which will put an end to this early summer pattern.

Rainfall will push into the region by Sunday very late afternoon or evening, and we should see rain for much of the night with a potential for it ending as snow in the mountains of SVT and/or far northwest MA as colder air works in behind the front.

It looks to be much cooler for the first half of next week behind the front with highs probably only reaching the 40s or 50s, but I will refine that as we get closer.

Have a great start to your week!

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.”
― Joseph Campbell

YOUR NUTSHELL:
–Mostly cloudy today, warmer, highs mid 60s to mid 70s
–A few isolated or widely scattered showers possible with dry periods
–Can’t rule out a thunderstorm this afternoon or early evening
–Southerly gusts this morning up to 30mph or so, give way to southwesterly gusts this afternoon of 30-45mph, with any 40+mph gusts in the high terrain
–Lows tonight dip into the low to mid 50s with a few showers possible
–Tuesday highs soar into the mid 70s to mid 80s under partly sunny skies
–By afternoon, a shortwave works through in the warm sector which may bring some isolated strong to marginally severe thunderstorms
–Strong gusty winds and torrential rain would be main issue
–Scattered showers expected Tuesday night with a rumble of thunder possible, lows mid to upper 50s
–Wednesday and Thursday look similar right now, with warm highs in the mid 70s to low 80s and a chance for scattered showers each afternoon and evening
–Lows should settle in the 55-60º range
–By Friday, highs should reach the 70s Friday and Saturday under partly to mostly sunny skies as the upper ridge recedes south of New England
–Lows will be in the low 50s
–Sunday will still be quite mild with highs either side of 70º and clouds increasing during the day
–A strong cold front will be moving east through NY and PA, and arrive by evening or overnight with rainfall expected
–In fact, I can’t rule out a brief change to or mix with snow in SVT and far northwest MA by early Monday morning
–Much cooler temps expected to start next week with highs at least in the 50s, maybe cooler

YOUR DAILY CELESTIALS
STAR:
–OUR STAR ROSE AT: 6:12am this morning
–OUR STAR SETS AT: 7:29pm this evening
–TOTAL DAYLIGHT TIME: 13 hours and 17 minutes

MOON:
–OUR MOON SETS AT: 3:16pm this afternoon
–MOON SET DIRECTION: West-Southwest
–OUR MOON RISES AT: 4:40am tomorrow morning
–MOON RISE DIRECTION: East
–MOON PHASE: Waning Crescent (19.7%)