Good morning folks, while high temps are forecast to reach the mid 80s to low 90s (and it’s notable that temps are already into the low 80s for parts of the valley this morning) smoke aloft and now at the ground will help temper and tamp temps. Heat Advisories are up for northern CT today for heat indices pushing over 95º, but those expire today, and the combination of very humid air this morning with ground smoke is producing poor air quality so take it easy today.

This issue of smoke from Canadian wildfires is likely to be with us today, tonight, Thursday, and into Thursday night before we have a chance of the plume being pressed further south and away from New England, at least for a time.

I honestly don’t know for how long we’ll be dealing with this air quality issue, but the Air Quality Index readings are high this morning, anywhere from 75 up to near 200, the latter value being unhealthy for everybody, not just folks with respiratory issues or the elderly or otherwise infirm folks among us.

I do know that Canada does not put out their fires – they let them burn. That area has been baking under a giant upper ridge that slid over us yesterday and (when the smoke wasn’t as present) allowed temps to push into the upper 80s to mid 90s. It’s been very hot over the northern-central U.S. into Ontario where these fires are burning, so I will be paying attention to this aspect of things daily for the foreseeable future.

Having said that, I have no idea why the Mass DEP or CT DEP has not posted an Air Quality Alert, so I am going to post my own self-fashioned “Poor Air Advisory”, how’s that? I won’t call it the same thing, but obviously with reports of smelling wood and plastic burning and AQIs in the 75-200 range this morning, it’s not amazing outside.

As for our weather, a cold front slides south through the region today, and will take high humidity this morning and flush it seaward by this evening, with drier air moving into the region. Highs generally in the 80s to possibly low 90s will drop into the upper 50s to low 60s tonight with continued air quality issues from wild fire smoke at times.

Thursday and Thursday night may be the peak of the smoke for this short-term, first (and hopefully last, though I’m not holding my breath… or maybe I should!) round.

Highs will be in the low to mid 80s and it would otherwise be a nice, mostly sunny, summer day with lower humidity, but the smoke plume may prompt Air Quality Alerts by the appropriate DEP offices tomorrow. Lows will drop to either side of 60º, and it will be gusty at times out of the northwest today, and west tomorrow as the new air mass moves in.

By Friday, hopefully the smoke plume (for now) will pass south of us, revealing a lovely end to the week with highs in the upper 70s to mid 80s and lows near 60º.

The weekend looks a bit unsettled, with potential for an area of showers and thunderstorms to push northeast and into New England with a disturbance working out of the Ohio Valley, and we need the rainfall.

Saturday morning likely starts off dry, with showers by afternoon and overnight Saturday night. Highs should reach the mid 70s to low 80s with lows in the mid to upper 50s.

Sunday is more uncertain, and could produce some shower/storm activity with similar temps, but could be a drier day as fair weather is expected to develop on Monday with seasonable highs in the low to mid 80s.

By next Tuesday (and maybe by the end of next week as well) some more rainfall will be possible, so a wetter pattern is being signaled at the moment, and I will keep you updated on all of it.

Have a great a day, and I will keep an eye on the smoke issue while the Canadian fires are burning!

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

YOUR NUTSHELL:
–A cold front tracks south through the region today
–Very warm temps and high humidity this morning peaks sometime around mid-day
–Drier air works into the region later today and tonight
–Smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to cause air quality problems today, tonight and Thursday before a hopeful break on Friday
–Those with respiratory issues must take precautions with this unhealthy level of air quality
–Reports are coming of folks being able to smell the acrid smoke, or smells of wood and/or plastic burning
–Highs reach the mid 80s to low 90s today with dewpoints in the low 70s early
–Hazy, smoky skies expected with partial sunshine at times
–Lows tonight drop into the low to mid 60s, hazy/smoky
–Thursday could feature the poorest air quality with highs in the 80s, and lower humidity
–Breezy today and Thursday with northwest to westerly gusts up to 25mph or so at times
–Thursday lows in the mid 50s to low 60s
–Friday has some promise that the smoke plume passes south of us, highs upper 70s to mid 80s, hopefully sunnier skies with less or no smoke, followed by lows in the upper 50s to low 60s
–The weekend may introduce a northeastward tracking disturbance that could push some needed rainfall into the region
–Saturday morning starts off dry most likely, but by afternoon showers will move into the region lasting into Saturday night with lows in the 50s
–Sunday may feature a few showers or thunderstorms, but looks a bit drier at the moment with similar high temps
–Fair weather resumes Monday with highs in the low to mid 80s, with potential for another rainy system for Tuesday

YOUR DAILY CELESTIALS
STAR:
–OUR STAR ROSE AT: 5:27am this morning
–OUR STAR SETS AT: 8:24am this evening
–TOTAL DAYLIGHT TIME: 14 hours and 57 minutes

MOON:
–OUR MOON SETS AT: 9:35pm this evening
–MOON SET DIRECTION: West-Northwest
–OUR MOON RISES AT: 8:01am tomorrow morning
–MOON RISE DIRECTION: East-Northeast
–MOON PHASE: Waxing Crescent (1.7% Illumination)