We are wrapping up our coastal rain storm this Wednesday and getting ready for another soggy day Thursday.
Today’s storm brought strong coastal winds this morning through the early afternoon. Some of our peak gusts:
- Charlestown, Rhode Island - 52 mph
- Rockport, Massachusetts - 51 mph
- Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts - 48 mph
We also got a pretty good soaking early in the day, especially across the Cape and the Islands. Rain totals ranged from just a few sprinkles to almost 2 inches of rain in parts of southeastern Massachusetts.
Some of our peak rain amounts include:
- Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts - 1.97"
- Orleans, Massachusetts - 1.64"
- Mashpee, Massachusetts - 1.61"
- Pittsfield, Massachusetts - 1.12"
Other rain amounts:
- Boston - .53”
- Hartford, Connecticut - .29”
- Worcester, Massachusetts - .06”
- Portland, Maine - .05"
Meanwhile, ingredients are coming together for our next storm.
Local
We have a sub-tropical jet bringing moisture from Mexico into the Midwest. At the same time, there is a snowstorm developing across the central plains that will feed off of that moisture.
By late tonight, the center of the storm will be in Chicago, whipping winds across Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan.
On Thursday morning, the storm will be closing in on New England, but the early commute still looks dry. However, any early morning peaks of sunshine will quickly fade as showers develop from west to east during the afternoon.
The center of the storm will pass west and north of us across the Great Lakes, but its occluded front will sweep across New England.
I'm not expecting thunderstorms at this time due to the lack of instability, but embedded heavier downpours are possible.
Rain will arrive between 1 and 3 p.m. and spread from the southwest to the northeast. Expect mostly light to moderate showers, but as I noted, a few downpours will also sneak in.
The bulk of the rain in southern New England should be offshore by midnight Thursday. It will take longer for the north country to dry out, and on Friday you will see additional showers in parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine
