Today we had highs near 60 degrees thanks to a south wind, though we didn't have much of an opportunity to enjoy the warmth with scattered showers around all afternoon.
The steadiest rain was across Providence, Boston and areas southeast between noon and 4 p.m. The rain tapers off from west to east, with the heaviest rainfall across southeastern Massachusetts heading offshore after the evening drive home.
We clear out tonight and lows drop to the 30s north to the 40s south thanks to a west, northwest breeze. This wind will keep us cooler for Wednesday as highs only reach the low 50s under full sunshine.
A frontal boundary on Thursday will drop from the north and this will divide the cold air from Canada and the milder air south. That airmass up north is pretty cold — you could say an early season arctic blast since we are tracking near record cold highs Friday and near record lows on Saturday morning.
That is after we get some plowable snow north. The snow showers begin across northern New England Thursday morning. By the evening commute, rain spreads in across southern New England and the snow continues north. The rain/snow mix line should stay around southern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. After midnight, the freezing line marches southward, flipping the Berskshires and Worcester Hills to snow while rain falls southeast.
Friday morning there is a quick period in time where the cold enters into Boston and southeastern Massachusetts so we flip to snow. Then the system moves out. Scattered coatings on grassy areas will be possible, while a dusting to 1 inch is likely from the Berkshires to the Worcester Hills, and the totals go up farther north and in elevation to a few inches to several inches around Presque Isle, Maine. Stay tuned for updates on the accumulations, as the forecast can still change.
U.S. & World
About that cold ... we will see near record cold temperatures Friday and Saturday. Highs will be in the 20s north, and in the 30s south, but with a brisk northwest breeze our wind chills will be 5 to 15 degrees. The record cold high for Friday is 32 (1894) in Boston & 34 (1976) in Worcester. The cold air remains in place through Saturday morning with lows dipping into the teens and 20s.
The record low for Boston on Saturday is 24 (1971) and the record in Worcester is 15 (1971). Saturday’s highs will be just as chilly in the 20s north and the upper 30s south, but with less wind.
Sunday morning lows will be in the 20s to low 30s farther south. Thankfully this cold snap doesn't last all weekend and our airmass modifies a bit by the afternoon with highs in the upper 40s.
Next week our temperatures stay below average, and actually will be more typical for the end of November. A wave of a wintry mix will push in for Veterans Day into Tuesday as temperatures fall to the upper 30s again by Wednesday.
