Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Boston, MA

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958 FXUS61 KBOX 181926 AFDBOX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA 326 PM EDT Sat May 18 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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Unsettled with periods of rain, drizzle and fog tonight. Seasonably cool and brisk northeast winds for the coast. Trending drier with breaks of sunshine developing Sunday afternoon from northwest to southeast, as high pressure begins to nudge in from the southwest. Summerlike warmth arrives Monday through Wednesday, then a cold front brings the next chance of showers or thunderstorms Thursday. Drier and more seasonable weather follows for the end of the week.
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&& .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/...
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320 PM Update: This evening... Rain shield from eastern CT into central MA continues to decrease in areal coverage and intensity, as low level easterly jet slowly wanes. Elsewhere, clouds dominate with areas of fog across Cape Cod, islands and coastal plymouth county. Western MA into northwest CT continuing to experience some partial sunshine and temps in the upper 60s. Meanwhile, elsewhere temps are in the upper 50s and lower 60s, low to mid 50s Cape Cod and Islands. Although, raw and brisk along the coast with NE winds 10-15 mph, gusting up to 25 mph at times. Overnight... Low pressure southeast of the 40N/70W benchmark will continue to generate moist NE flow into SNE. Meanwhile, maritime high pressure remains over SNE and this provides low level inversion for moisture to become trapped. Thus, mostly cloudy to overcast conditions, along with spotty light rain/drizzle and areas of fog. Temps will be seasonable cool, with lows mainly from 50-55, upper 40s across Cape Cod and the Islands. It will feel raw and brisk there with NE winds 10-15 mph, gusting up to 20 mph at times.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...
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320 PM update... Sunday... Rising heights slowly advect into SNE from west to east. This subsidence combined with strong/high May sun will slowly erode clouds from northwest to southeast during the afternoon. However, persistent northeast winds will slow this trend for eastern MA into RI, where only a few late day breaks of sunshine may develop. This is where the forecast uncertainty is greatest. Duration of sunshine will be longest across western MA/CT where highs should top out in the low 70s. 60s for most of the region, except only 55-60 across eastern MA given clouds and onshore flow, with NE winds 15-20 mph there. There could be some spotty light rain/drizzle and areas of fog in the morning. Sunday night... Low clouds and areas of fog may redevelop as blyr cools and subsidence inversion remains over SNE, trapping low level moisture. Less clouds and fog westward into CT and western- central MA. Seasonably cool with lows in the upper 40s to lower 50s. Blended in some of the cooler MOS guidance given some clearing during the evening hours. Winds will remain NE and light.
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&& .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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Key Points: * Summerlike warmth early next week - Tue and Wed look warmest * Dry overall - scattered showers/storms Thu * More seasonable temps late week Ensembles continue theme of warming trend Mon-Wed as upper ridge builds over New England in response to digging trough over western third of country. NBM probabilities for exceeding 80F are fairly high, especially Tue- Wed where many locations away from South Coast are at or above 75%. Looks questionable in the Providence to Taunton to Plymouth corridor and points south due to prevailing SW flow. And on other side of the coin, NBM probabilities for 90+F are highest across interior MA from Greenfield to Amherst (40-65%) and in the Leominster and Lowell areas (40%), so it`s not out of the question that we see some 90- degree readings in those areas too. Fortunately dewpoints will stay on the lower side (50s) so it won`t feel oppressive nor will heat index become a significant concern. Nonetheless, many of us are not yet accustomed to summertime temperatures, so it`s something to be aware of if you`re planning on spending time outdoors next week. Pattern also favors dry weather for much of the week, though an approaching cold front should bring scattered showers or thunderstorms sometime in Thu-early Fri timeframe. Not looking at a big severe weather threat but Colorado State ML does show some low chances so it`s something we`ll follow in the coming days. Timing of front seems to be the biggest question, whether it approaches during peak daytime heating or closer to nighttime. Front heads offshore Fri which brings in more seasonable airmass for end of the week.
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&& .AVIATION /19Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
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Forecast Confidence Levels: Low - less than 30 percent. Moderate - 30 to 60 percent. High - greater than 60 percent. 18z TAF Update: Through 00z...Moderate confidence. Uncertainty on arrival time of IFR/LIFR over Cape and Islands advancing northwestward. Rain shield and intensity will be on the decrease this afternoon. NE winds continue 10-15 kt. IFR/LIFR across Cape Cod, Islands and coastal Plymouth county slowly spread inland into RI and eastern MA 21z-00z. Elsewhere MVFR/VFR continues across CT into western-central MA. After 00z...Moderate confidence. Uncertainty in arrival time of IFR/LIFR spreading inland. IFR/LIFR advance inland into RI and eastern MA, with MVFR across CT into western-central MA. Drizzle and fog most common across RI and eastern MA. NE winds continue 10-15 kt. Sunday...Moderate Confidence. Uncertainty on timing of conditions improving from LIFR/IFR in the morning to MVFR/VFR in the afternoon. IFR/LIFR in the morning lifts to MVFR/VFR in the afternoon across CT into western-central MA. Timing across RI into eastern MA more uncertain. NE winds 10-15 kt. Sunday night...moderate confidence. Uncertainty on timing and how conditions will lower across RI and eastern MA. MVFR at 00z across RI and eastern MA, with VFR westward into CT and western-central MA. Uncertain how quickly and how far west IFR across Cape and Islands at 00z traverses overnight. IFR possible across much of RI and eastern MA, as NE winds continue. KBOS TAF...High confidence on trends but lower on exact arrival time of IFR/LIFR this evening, then departure time of improving conditions Sunday afternoon. KBDL TAF...High confidence in trends, but uncertainty on timing and duration of lower conditions tonight, then uncertainty on exact timing of improving conditions Sunday. Outlook /Monday through Thursday/... Monday Night through Tuesday Night: VFR. Wednesday: VFR. Breezy.
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&& .MARINE...
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Forecaster Confidence Levels: Low - less than 30 percent. Medium - 30 to 60 percent. High - greater than 60 percent. 320 PM update... Tonight... High confidence. NE winds 15-20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt this evening, slowly easing overnight. However, long ENE fetch will keep seas up to 4-6 ft across the outer MA/RI waters. This combined with marginal winds, SCA continue for the outer waters. Periods of rain/drizzle and fog will yield poor vsby at times. Weak low pressure southeast of 40N/70W benchmark is the culprit for NE winds, combined with maritime high pressure. Sunday... High Confidence. Offshore low and maritime high move very little, thus morning low clouds, fog and spotty light rain and drizzle expected. Some improvement in the afternoon. NE winds 10-15 kt. Sunday night...high confidence. More of the same weather given offshore low and maritime high persist. Lighter winds and maritime high slowly advects over the MA/RI waters. Outlook /Monday through Thursday/... Monday through Monday Night: Winds less than 25 kt. Areas of seas approaching 5 ft. Tuesday: Winds less than 25 kt. Seas locally approaching 5 ft. Tuesday Night through Wednesday: Winds less than 25 kt.
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&& .BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...None. MA...None. RI...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 2 AM EDT Monday for ANZ250-254. Small Craft Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for ANZ255- 256. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Nocera/JWD NEAR TERM...Nocera SHORT TERM...Nocera LONG TERM...JWD AVIATION...Nocera/JWD MARINE...Nocera/JWD