After cooling down late last week and remaining on the cooler side of things through the weekend, temperatures have climbed back to well above average this week. And those warm readings have been accompanied by obnoxious humidity, as dewpoints have consistently been above 70º F. The combination has made it feel like over 90º at times. This latest round of heat and high humidity will relax just in time for the upcoming weekend.
A surface cold front will cross through the region on Friday, pushing the humid air out to sea. Behind the front, a high-pressure cell will shift into New England on Saturday, which should yield some nice weather — daytime temperatures close to 80º but with more modest humidity levels. For us, that means dewpoints generally in the 60s, not the refreshing 40s and 50s we might want and likely won’t experience until sometime later in August. Still, it should feel quite nice compared to the sauna-like conditions of the last few days.
Before the heat and humidity break for the weekend, we may once again have some scattered showers on Thursday and Friday. While there isn’t an overwhelming signal for widespread wet weather, some thunderstorms can’t be ruled out as the approaching cold front bumps into the warm and humid air mass. As is often the case, the highest odds for seeing thunderstorms will be over inland parts of southern New England, but a storm or two could survive the journey to the coast. The threat of a few soaking downpours is there, should the very moist air get wrung out. While the timing of summer rains can be frustrating, generally any rainfall is welcome now as there can be long stretches without much precipitation during June, July, and August.
Looking ahead, longer-term models suggest this weekend’s cooler air mass will hold in place into the first half of next week as high pressure tries to hang on over the region, keeping the worst of the summer heat to our west. The most recent European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts data depict a slight upper-air trough (a bit of a dip in the jet stream) nearby and concurrently has cooler temperatures aloft lingering over New England into midweek. So, highs for Monday through Wednesday are currently modeled in the 70s around the area.
Warmer temperatures and tropical-like humidity should gradually make their way back into the forecast during the second half of the week ahead as an upper-level ridge shifts eastward and forces the cooler air out to sea.
