Heat's Back, Drought Worsens

Drought Monitor came out this morning at 8:30 sharp. It didn't show us anything we weren't already aware of, however.

Most of New England is steeped in drought - with little in the way of relief in the forecast. Extreme drought has now widened a bit across Eastern Mass and Southern NH, while severe drought stretched into Midcoast Maine.

On a trip to the National Weather Service in Taunton this afternoon, I learned that technically, we've been in a state of semi-drought for 3 years now. Precipitation deficits trace back to 2013, and in some cases 20-25 inches of rain is needed to get us back on track!

This is huge in terms of water budgets, but it's also an almost unreachable goal. At some point - when we return to wetter times - we will just have to write off the deficit and forge ahead.

In the meantime, the showers will be paltry and fleeting. There may be a few that cross through New England tonight ahead of a swift-moving cool front. While the title implies cooler air, that's not what we'll see tomorrow as high surge near record territory.

Cooler air is in place Saturday, and with a few showers skirting through in the midday, highs will slump to the upper 70s. Sunday is now looking like the warmer of the two weekend days, with slightly more humid air.

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