Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Boston, MA

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000 FXUS61 KBOX 242357 AFDBOX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 757 PM EDT FRI MAY 24 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY ACROSS EASTERN NEW ENGLAND THIS EVENING WITH MUCH COOLER AIR BEHIND THE FRONT. LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP ON THIS FRONT...WITH SHOWERS LINGERING ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. SOME IMPROVEMENT IS LIKELY SUNDAY AS THE LOW DEPARTS INTO NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. HOWEVER MUCH NICER WEATHER ARRIVES MEMORIAL DAY MONDAY WITH WARM TEMPERATURES AND DRY CONDITIONS AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS SOUTH OF NEW ENGLAND. A WARM FRONT WILL BRING EVEN WARMER TEMPERATURES BY LATE NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/...
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740 PM UPDATE... FIRST AREA OF SHOWERS ACROSS E MA...SOME WITH BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...HAS MOVED OFFSHORE EXCEPT FOR LINE OF SHOWERS ACROSS NE MA/SE NH AT 23Z. EXPECT THIS TO PUSH NE OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. HOWEVER...ANOTHER AREA OF SHOWERS...SOME WITH EMBEDDED HEAVY DOWNPOURS...WILL SLOWLY CROSS INTO THE CT VALLEY BY 03Z...THEN CONTINUE TO MOVE E OVERNIGHT. NOTING SOME C/G LIGHTNING WELL OFF THE COAST AND SHOULD STAY THERE...BUT WILL NEED TO MONITOR IN THE OFF CHANCE THAT A COUPLE OF STRIKES GET CLOSE TO THE OUTER CAPE AND NANTUCKET. IR SATELLITE IS SHOWING SOME COOLING OF THE CLOUD TOPS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AREA OF PRECIP ACROSS E NY/W NEW ENGLAND...SO WILL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON THIS AS WELL IN CASE PRECIP STARTS TO INCREASE IN INTENSITY. NOTED AROUND 0.05 TO 0.1 INCHES AT 22Z IN THAT AREA OF PRECIP. PREVIOUS FORECAST LOOKED PRETTY GOOD...BUT DID UPDATE THE GRIDS TO BRING CONDITIONS CURRENT. TEMPS ACROSS E MA DID RISE A BIT HIGHER THAN FORECAST...SO UPDATED THIS AS WELL. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... ANOMALOUS UPPER PATTERN UNDERWAY WITH HIGH AMPLITUDE NEGATIVE TROUGH EVOLVING INTO A CLOSED MID LEVEL LOW OVER LONG ISLAND TONIGHT...INDUCING CYCLOGENESIS NEAR NANTUCKET. THIS WILL RESULT IN COMMA HEAD/TROWAL RAINS OVER NY/NJ AND WESTERN NEW ENGLAND TO PIVOT ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES. THUS CATEGORICAL POPS FROM MET AND MAV LOOK REASONABLE. HEAVIEST AND MOST WIDESPREAD RAINS WILL BE FOCUSED ACROSS WESTERN CT/MA INTO SOUTHWEST NH...THE I-91 CORRIDOR. STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO OVERSPREAD THE REGION IN THE POST FRONTAL AIRMASS FROM WEST TO EAST. WELL TEMPS WILL FALL INTO THE 40S ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION TONIGHT...MODEL SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THERE IS ENOUGH BLYR WARMTH TO KEEP PTYPE ALL RAIN EVEN ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN. FALLING TEMPS WILL COMBINE WITH GUSTY NW WINDS TO PROVIDE A BIT OF A WIND CHILL TONIGHT. THIS ALONG WITH SHOWERS BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD WILL YIELD NASTY CONDITIONS FOR ANY OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES. THE ONLY POSITIVE WILL BE TEMPORARY WARMTH AND HUMIDITY ACROSS EASTERN MA. TEMPS IN THE L70S ALONG WITH DEW PTS IN THE MU60S ACROSS THIS AREA HAS RESULTED IN SB CAPES OF AROUND 500 J/KG. DESPITE MODEST DEEP LAYER SHEAR MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE WEAK SO NOT EXPECTING MUCH IN THE WAY OF DEEP CONVECTION...JUST SOME HEAVY SHOWERS ACROSS EASTERN MA/RI AND EASTERN CT. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION COMMA HEAD RAINS WILL CONTINUE TO BLOSSOM ACROSS NY/PA/NJ AND NYC WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY PIVOT NE INTO WESTERN NEW ENGLAND LATER TODAY. COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO OOZE EASTWARD INTO EASTERN MA LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. BEHIND THE FRONT GUSTY WNW WINDS WITH THE INITIAL SURGE OF COOL AIR...THEN RELAXING A BIT.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM SATURDAY/... SATURDAY... NOT YOUR TYPICAL START TO MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND WITH COASTAL LOW OVER GULF OF MAINE AS MID LEVEL LOW DRIFTS ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. HEIGHTS ALOFT CONTINUE TO FALL WHICH RESULTS IN COOLING FROM TOP DOWN. VERY IMPRESSIVE SYNOPTIC SCALE FORCING VIA MID LEVEL Q-VECTOR CONVERGENCE. STRONGEST LIFT WILL ONCE AGAIN BE ACROSS WESTERN SECTIONS OF CT/MA INTO SOUTHWEST NH...I-91 CORRIDOR. MODEL SOUNDINGS SUGGEST LATE IN THE DAY ACROSS THIS AREA ESPECIALLY THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF MA/NH THAT RAIN MAY MIX OR CHANGE TO SNOW AT TIMES WHEN PRECIP INTENSITY IS GREATEST. THIS WILL BE MOST COMMON AT ELEVATIONS GREATER THAN 1KFT AS FREEZING LEVELS DROP TO THIS LEVEL. SURFACE AND GROUND TEMPS LIKELY TOO WARM FOR ANY ACCUMULATION BUT MINOR SNOW ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE ON TREES/POWERLINES. DON/T EXPECT ANY IMPACT JUST SOME DECORATIVE SNOW POSSIBLE HIGHER TERRAIN. ELSEWHERE SHOWERS SHOULD BE WIDESPREAD ALONG WITH CHILLY TEMPS IN THE U40S TO L50S...BUT WILL FEEL MUCH COOLER WITH GUSTY WNW WIND. EMBEDDED HEAVY SHOWERS POSSIBLE. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... HIGHLIGHTS... * LOW PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY MOVE OFFSHORE LATE THIS WEEKEND... KEEPING SHOWERS AND COOL TEMPERATURES INTO SUNDAY * FAIR BUT COOL CONDITIONS FOR MEMORIAL DAY...WITH MODERATING TEMPS THROUGH THE MID WEEK * WARM FRONT BY END OF THE WEEK WILL PUSH TEMPS WELL ABOVE AVERAGE OVERVIEW AND MODEL PREFERENCES... MEDIUM RANGE MODELS APPEAR IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE SLOW BUT STEADY MOVEMENT OF H5 CUTOFF LOW AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE SYSTEM LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND THE MARITIMES BY MEMORIAL DAY. UPPER LEVEL PATTERN EVOLVES OVER TIME AS CUTOFF LOW REMAINS ACROSS THE EASTERN MARITIMES INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...TENDING TO FLATTEN OUT ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER STATES WITH BROAD HIGH PRES ACROSS THE SOUTH. WILL SEE A RETURN TO MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS... THOUGH A WARM FRONT MAY APPROACH BY MID WEEK WITH A BRIEF PERIOD OF SHOWERS POSSIBLE. THEN...LOOKS LIKE SUMMER WARMTH WILL PUSH IN BY LATE NEXT WEEK. WENT ALONG WITH BLEND OF PREVIOUS FORECAST...00Z ECMWF/12Z GFS AND WPC GUIDANCE FOR THIS PACKAGE...WHICH SHOWED GOOD CONTINUITY AND CONSISTENCY OVER THE LAST FEW RUNS. NOTED THAT THE 00Z EC /AND SINCE THEN...THE 12Z/ OP RUNS HAVE COME MORE IN LINE WITH THE GFS IN EJECTING THE SURFACE LOW ACROSS THE REGION FASTER THAN THEIR PREVIOUS RUNS...AND BOTH ARE NEARLY IDENTICAL IN PUSHING SYSTEM INTO MAINE AND THE MARITIMES LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO THE HOLIDAY. DETAILS... SATURDAY NIGHT-SUNDAY...AS H5 LOW MOVES ACROSS E MA SAT NIGHT... THE NW FLOW BEHIND COMBINED WITH THE COLD POOL ALOFT WILL BRING MIGHTY CHILLY AIR INTO THE REGION ESPECIALLY ACROSS S NH/W MA. WITH WRAPAROUND RAINFALL MOVES IN ACROSS INTERIOR AREAS...ALONG WITH THIS COLDER AIR...WE HAVE MENTIONED THE POSSIBILITY OF /YES/ MIXED RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE MONADNOCKS/E SLOPES OF THE BERKSHIRES POSSIBLY DOWN INTO THE MOUNT WACHUSETT REGION OF N WORCESTER COUNTY SAT NIGHT. GRANTED...GROUND HAS WARMED UP SO NOT EXPECTING MUCH IN THE WAY OF ACCUMULATION... BUT COULD SEE SOME ON GRASSY AND SOME UNTREATED SURFACES. LOWS WILL DROP TO THE MID-UPPER 30S EVEN AS FAR S OF INTERIOR SE MA/N RI/NE MA...RUNNING 10 TO 15 DEGS BELOW SEASONAL NORMS. AS FOR ANY CONVECTION...HAVE REMOVED MENTION FOR NOW BUT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO HEAR A FEW ISOLD RUMBLES AS PRECIP AND UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM START TO SHIFT NE. ON SUNDAY...LEFTOVER SHOWERS WILL END FROM S-N DURING THE DAY. CLOUDS WILL REMAIN FOR MOST OF THE DAY AS NW WINDS PICK UP. EXPECT GUSTS UP TO 30-35 MPH ESPECIALLY ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN AREAS. WILL REMAIN COOL WITH HIGHS ONLY IN THE 50S TO AROUND 60...AGAIN 10-15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. SKIES SHOULD BEGIN TO CLEAR SUN NIGHT AND IT WILL REMAIN RATHER CHILLY. MONDAY...LOOKS LIKE THE HOLIDAY WEATHER IS SALVAGED AS HIGH PRES BUILDS OUT OF EASTERN ONTARIO AND WESTERN QUEBEC. WILL STILL SEE SOME GUSTY W-NW WINDS...UP TO 20-25 MPH...BUT IT WILL BE MILDER. HIGHS ARE FORECAST TO REACH THE MID 60S TO AROUND 70. TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY...ANOTHER NICE DAY ON TUESDAY AS HIGH PRES STARTS TO RECENTER OFF THE MID ATLC COAST. WINDS START TO BACK TO SW BY LATE IN THE DAY. HIGHS MAINLY IN THE LOWER-MID 70S...THOUGH ONLY IN THE 60S ALONG THE S COAST. BY TUESDAY NIGHT...WILL SEE SOME CLOUDS INCREASE AS A WARM FRONT APPROACHES. HAVE BROUGHT IN LOW CHANCE POPS FOR WED/WED NIGHT AND MAY EVEN SEE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS AS WARM FRONT WORKS ACROSS. THURSDAY-FRIDAY...MUCH WARMER AIR WORKS IN DURING THIS TIMEFRAME. ANY LEFTOVER SCT SHOWERS/TSTMS WILL PUSH OUT OF THE REGION DURING THU...WITH MORE HUMIDITY WORKING IN AS WELL. EXPECT HIGHS BOTH DAYS MAINLY IN THE 80S...EXCEPT COOLER ALONG THE S COAST. && .AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
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FORECASTER CONFIDENCE LEVELS... LOW...LESS THAN 30 PERCENT. MODERATE...30 TO 60 PERCENT. HIGH...GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT. OVERVIEW...MODERATE CONFIDENCE TONIGHT AND SAT. TONIGHT...COLD FRONT ALONG THE MASS E COAST AT 21Z WILL DRIFT EVER SO SLOWLY OFFSHORE OVERNIGHT WITH WINDS SHIFT TO N-NW. EXPECT IFR CONDITIONS ALONG E COASTAL AREAS...WITH VFR CONDITIONS LOWERING TO AREAS OF MVFR AS SHOWERS DEVELOP FROM W-E AS UPPER LEVEL REFLECTION MOVES SLOWLY INTO THE REGION. SAT... WIDESPREAD SHOWERS OVER WESTERN NEW ENGLAND PIVOTS INTO EASTERN NEW ENGLAND DURING THE AFTERNOON. SNOW MAY MIX IN WITH THE RAIN ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF WESTERN MA AND SOUTHWEST NH. NW WINDS MAY GUSTS TO 25 KT. IFR CONFINED TO SOUTHEAST MA WITH MVFR ELSEWHERE. KBOS TERMINAL...MODERATE CONFIDENCE IN TAF. VFR CONDITIONS WILL LOWER TO MVFR AND EVENTUALLY IFR CIGS WITH VFR-MVFR VSBYS IN SCT SHOWERS. SAT...SHOWERS BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD DURING THE AFTERNOON AND WINDS INCREASE UP TO 25 KT. KBDL TERMINAL...MODERATE CONFIDENCE IN TAF. LOW CIGS AND SHOWERS EXPECTED TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. MAINLY MVFR CIGS AND VFR-MVFR VSBYS MAINLY IN SHOWERS. WNW WINDS UP TO 25 KT EARLY TONIGHT AND POSSIBLY UP TO 30 KT SAT WITH MVFR CONTINUING. OUTLOOK...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY... SATURDAY NIGHT-SUNDAY...LOW TO MODERATE CONFIDENCE. UNSETTLED PATTERN WITH VARIABLE CONDITIONS FROM VFR TO MVFR-IFR CONDITIONS IN SHRA/FOG. LOW PROB OF ISOLD TSTM SAT NIGHT. PRECIP TAPERS OFF FROM S-N DURING SUNDAY WITH GENERAL VFR CONDITIONS BY LATE SUNDAY THOUGH VFR CIGS LINGER SUNDAY NIGHT. MAY SEE PATCHY MVFR-IFR VSBYS IN PATCHY FOG SUN NIGHT. MONDAY-TUESDAY...HIGH CONFIDENCE. VFR. LOW CONFIDENCE ON SEA BREEZE DEVELOPMENT. MAY SEE PATCHY FOG WITH MVFR-IFR VSBYS LATE MON NIGHT-EARLY TUE MORNING. WEDNESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. MAINLY VFR. MAY SEE CLOUDS/SCT SHOWERS MOVE IN AHEAD OF WARM FRONT WITH LOCAL MVFR CONDITIONS.
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&& .MARINE... FORECASTER CONFIDENCE LEVELS... LOW...LESS THAN 30 PERCENT. MODERATE...30 TO 60 PERCENT. HIGH...GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT. TONIGHT... LARGE S SWELLS CONTINUE ON THE SOUTHERN RI AND MA WATERS. OTHERWISE A SLOW WIND SHIFT TO WEST WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE. WNW WINDS MAY GUSTS UP TO 20 KT AS LOW PRES DEVELOPS NEAR NANTUCKET. SHOWERS BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES. FORECAST CONFIDENCE MODERATE. SAT...LOW PRES TRACKS FROM NANTUCKET TO GULF OF MAINE. NW WINDS UP TO 25 KT POSSIBLE ALONG WITH LINGERING S SWELLS SOUTH WATERS OF RI AND MA. SHOWERS REDUCE VSBY AS WELL. OUTLOOK...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY... OUTLOOK...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY... MODERATE CONFIDENCE THROUGH THE PERIOD. SATURDAY NIGHT-SUNDAY...SURFACE LOW WILL LINGER ACROSS THE EASTERN WATERS SAT NIGHT...THEN SHIFT SLOWLY NE SUN. SEAS REMAINING ABOVE 5 FT. W-NW WINDS WILL PICK UP...WITH GUSTS UP TO GALE FORCE MAINLY ON THE SOUTHERN WATERS TO S AND E OF NANTUCKET. KEPT GALE WATCH GOING THERE. WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH DURING SUN AFTERNOON/NIGHT. MONDAY...WINDS DIMINISH BELOW SMALL CRAFT. SEAS REMAIN AOA 5 FT ON THE OUTER WATERS. TUESDAY...WINDS AND SEAS REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT. WEDNESDAY...S-SE WINDS MAY SEE SE WINDS PICK UP DURING THE DAY WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 KT. SEAS MAY APPROACH 5 FT ON THE SOUTHERN WATERS. && .HYDROLOGY... DISCOUNTED THE GFS AS IT APPEARED AN OUTLIER WITH UP TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN IN WESTERN MA AND SOUTHWEST NH. MODEL CONSENSUS OF 12Z NAM/ECMWF AND GEFS SUGGEST WIDESPREAD 0.75-1.00 INCH RAINFALL ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. POSSIBLY UP TO 1.5 INCHES ACROSS I-91 CORRIDOR OF WESTERN CT/MA INTO SOUTHWEST NH GIVEN PROXIMITY TO COMMA HEAD/TROWAL. GIVEN THIS IS SPREAD OUT INTO SUN MORNING RISK OF FLOODING IS VERY LOW. THUS NO HEADLINES. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... EAST COAST OF MA THIS WEEKEND... HIGH ASTRONOMICAL TIDES THIS WEEKEND. AT BOSTON...A HIGH TIDE OF 11.9 FT WILL OCCUR TONIGHT AT 11:21 PM AND 12.2 FT EARLY SUNDAY MORNING AT 12:12 AM. ESTOFS INDICATING UP TO 0.5 FT SURGE WHICH SEEMS REASONABLE. DESPITE THE LACK OF MUCH WAVE ACTION COULD SEE SOME MINOR INUNDATION ESPECIALLY WITH THE SAT NIGHT HIGH TIDE. AGAIN VERY MINOR COASTAL FLOODING POSSIBLE IN THE TYPICALLY PRONE LOCATION OF EASTERN MA...IE MORRISSEY BLVD IN DORCHESTER. CONFIDENCE NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO ISSUE A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY ESPECIALLY GIVEN A MARGINAL EVENT. LATER SHIFTS WILL HAVE TO REEVALUATE THE RISK. && .BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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CT...NONE. MA...NONE. NH...NONE. RI...NONE. MARINE...GALE WATCH FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR ANZ235-237-254>256. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 2 PM EDT SATURDAY FOR ANZ235-237- 250-254>256.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...NOCERA/EVT NEAR TERM...NOCERA/EVT SHORT TERM...NOCERA LONG TERM...EVT AVIATION...NOCERA/EVT MARINE...NOCERA/EVT HYDROLOGY...NOCERA TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...NOCERA

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