Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Boston, MA

Current Version |  Previous Version |  Text Only |  Print | Product List |  Glossary On
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
-- Highlight Changed Discussion --
-- Discussion containing changed information from previous version are highlighted. --
779 FXUS61 KBOX 211150 AFDBOX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA 750 AM EDT Sat Sep 21 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Offshore low remains stagnant through this evening and begins to move to the southeast Sunday and continue through Monday. While dry weather is expected Sunday through Tuesday, cloudier conditions and onshore breezes are expected, along with a risk for higher surf through Monday. Rain chances then increase again for midweek as a frontal system moves in from the Great Lakes. Near to slightly below normal temperatures are expected into midweek. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...
-- Changed Discussion --
No big changes to the forecast this morning. Made some tweaks to reflect regional radar data and observed temperatures. Previous Discussion... Little change in the forecast for today as the area of low pressure south of Nantucket continues to dominate the weather in southern New England. Steady northeast winds from 10 to 20 mph persist today with periods of showers for locations east of Worcester. Winds will also remain gusty near the coast and especially over The Cape/Islands where periods of 30+ mph gusts are expected this afternoon. Highs today top out in the low to mid 60s across eastern MA and RI. Areas further west look to stay dry, but under overcast skies. Highs in the CT River Valley reaching the upper 60s to low 70s.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 PM SUNDAY/...
-- Changed Discussion --
Tonight and Tomorrow Area of low pressure south of Nantucket slowly retrogrades southeast. Latest model guidance suggests it will regress far enough that low-level jet will shift south off the south coast bringing an end to the steady rainfall and stronger northeast wind gusts. Nonetheless, elevated northeast winds persist tonight from 10 to 20 mph with some gusts in the 20 to 30 mph range near the coast. Lows bottom out in the mid too upper 50s across eastern MA and RI. Areas to the west may see some clearing overnight, particularly areas near the CT River Valley. This would allow for slightly cooler temperatures in the lows 50s overnight. Sunday will feature very slow improvements to the cloudy/dreary pattern we`ve been stuck in since mid-week. Not expecting any precipitation, but overcast skies will be likely across eastern MA and RI for most of the day. Should see some breaks of sun west of Worcester where high temperatures will be pleasant in the upper 60s to low 70s. Can`t rule out some late sunshine for areas east of Worcester as skies gradually clear with the area of low-pressure off the south coast continuing to move out to sea.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/...
-- Changed Discussion --
Highlights: * While dry, still a cloudier-than-not period with continued NE breezes through Tue. High surf and/or elevated risk for rip currents as well through at least early next week, and minor coastal flooding on east-facing coasts again possible into Sun. * Frontal system around Wed or Thu offers the next chance for rainfall, although the timing remains uncertain. * Temperatures near to slightly below normal. Details: The stagnant low pressure finally gets kicked out to sea as a high pressure builds over southern New England from eastern Canada. This high pressure will dominate our weather with drier and cooler conditions into at least early Wednesday. Some question after then about how quickly this high pressure will move off to the east and permit a low pressure to move into the Great Lakes. Latest guidance suite may be a little too fast returning a risk for showers Wednesday given the synoptic pattern. Given the uncertainty in the details, stayed closer to the NationalBlend solution. More confident in unsettled weather redeveloping late next week as a low pressure passes by. With the continued northeasterly flow and elevated seas, there will continue to be a risk for rip currents and high surf with a need for rip current and/or surf headlines for the eastern coast. While astronomical tides trend lower each day, we could still have pockets of minor coastal flooding and/or washover onto vulnerable shoreline roads Monday, but the risk is considerably lower than this weekend. Northeast winds become east Tuesday, then persist into late next week. This will keep temperatures near to slightly below normal.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .AVIATION /12Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
-- Changed Discussion --
Forecast Confidence Levels: Low - less than 30 percent. Moderate - 30 to 60 percent. High - greater than 60 percent. Today...High Confidence Continued IFR/MVFR ceilings east of ORH with improvements to VFR at BAF/BDL by 16-18Z. Gusty northeast winds gradually diminish, but remain elevated with gusts up to 20 knots near the coast and 25 to 30 knots over The Cape/Islands terminals. Shower activity remains confined to the same locations. Tonight...High Confidence MVFR ceilings everywhere except BAF/BDL where VFR cloud bases should prevail. Some patchy fog developing overnight in the typically fog prone areas. Steady near 10 knots with some gusts up to 20 knots possible. Shower activity wanes toward 12Z. Sunday...High Confidence MVFR for the first half of the day, then gradual improvements to VFR by mid to late afternoon. Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. BOS TAF...High Confidence Remaining between MVFR and IFR through this afternoon. Appears better chances for rains around 11z and continue until midday before shifting southward. NE winds continue, gusting up to 30 knots tonight before mostly remaining around 25 knots Saturday. Should see improvements to VFR by Saturday evening. BDL TAF... High Confidence Deterioration to MVFR ceilings tonight, before trending VFR ceilings around Sat aftn. Outlook /Sunday Night through Wednesday/... Sunday Night: VFR. Windy with local gusts up to 30 kt. Monday: VFR. Breezy. Monday Night: Mainly VFR, with local MVFR possible. Tuesday: Mainly VFR, with areas MVFR possible. Tuesday Night: Mainly VFR, with local IFR possible. Slight chance SHRA. Wednesday: Mainly VFR, with areas MVFR possible. Chance SHRA.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .MARINE... Forecaster Confidence Levels: Low - less than 30 percent. Medium - 30 to 60 percent. High - greater than 60 percent. Today through Sunday Gale force wind gusts gradually die down today over the south coastal waters, but seas remain elevated with significant wave heights continuing to range from 6 to 10 feet over the marine zones. While gale force gusts should diminish by this afternoon, still expect persistent northeast winds with gusts up to 30 knots. This pattern will continue through at least Sunday.SCY headlines will be needed through this time frame. A High Surf Advisory remains in effect for the southern New England coastline. Outlook /Sunday Night through Wednesday/... Sunday Night: Low risk for Small Craft Advisory winds with gusts up to 30 kt. Rough seas up to 11 ft. Monday: Winds less than 25 kt. Rough seas up to 10 ft. Monday Night: Winds less than 25 kt. Rough seas up to 9 ft. Tuesday through Tuesday Night: Winds less than 25 kt. Areas of rough seas. Wednesday: Winds less than 25 kt. Seas up to 5 ft. Slight chance of rain showers. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... Coastal Flood Advisory remains in effect for this afternoons high tide. Storm surge associated with the area of low-pressure south of Nantucket likely peaked yesterday around 1.6-1.7 feet. There were several reports of minor coastal flooding along the east coast. With total water levels slightly lower today, we don`t anticipate impacts any worse than what was observed yesterday, but we do expect another round of minor coastal flooding with todays high tide. With the area of low-pressure slowly retrograding southeast, the elevated water levels will persist into tomorrow afternoons` high tide when another Coastal Flood Advisory will be in effect. In addition...because this is a long duration event there is also concern for beach erosion. This is especially true for areas that were hard hit by the storms of last winter. Lastly...we have gone with High Surf Advisories for all ocean exposed beaches along both coasts given the rough seas offshore. && .BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
-- Changed Discussion --
CT...None. MA...High Surf Advisory until 7 PM EDT this evening for MAZ007-019- 020-022>024. Coastal Flood Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 5 PM EDT this afternoon for MAZ007-015-016-019-022>024. Coastal Flood Advisory from noon to 6 PM EDT Sunday for MAZ007- 015-016-019-022>024. RI...High Surf Advisory until 7 PM EDT this evening for RIZ006>008. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 4 PM EDT this afternoon for ANZ230- 236. Small Craft Advisory until 8 PM EDT Sunday for ANZ231>235-237- 250-251-254>256.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& $$ SYNOPSIS...Belk/RM NEAR TERM...Belk/RM SHORT TERM...RM LONG TERM...Belk AVIATION...Belk/RM MARINE...Belk/RM TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...RM