Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Boston, MA

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000 FXUS61 KBOX 150611 AFDBOX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA 211 AM EDT Mon Apr 15 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Showers end overnight, along with gradual clearing. Dry and seasonably mild Monday through Wednesday. Another unsettled pattern develops late this week, with near normal temperatures and a few chances for rain Thursday into next weekend. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THIS MORNING/... 1005 PM Update: Low pressure near the Poconos in northeast PA will continue to ride ENE along an elongated frontal boundary from its center northeastward into Southern New England through late tonight. This should gradually shift the effective frontal boundary southward into the southern waters as time goes on tonight. Though we had a few lightning strikes in CT a few hours ago, the bulk of convective activity has remained well to the southwest. Radar showing a fractured line of scattered showers located just south of the Route 2 corridor, which will slowly progress southeast toward the southern coastal waters thru midnight. That will likely be the extent of it though over much of the land with dry weather for the 2nd half of the overnight, however it is possible we could see a rogue, garden-variety TS develop over the southern waters (perhaps near MVY/ACK?) early overnight per the HRRR and 18z/14th NAM-3km guidance. Rain amts probably won`t amount to much more than a tenth of an inch as showers should be passing and of generally light intensity. Though the frontal boundary will be slowly sagging southward for the 2nd half of the night well into the waters, cloud cover could be a little slower to erode especially if the boundary slows down. Did bump cloud cover up somewhat across the southern half of Southern New England thru the pre-dawn hrs, essentially a slower erosion of cloud cover. Further inland though, most areas should trend mostly clear by overnight/pre-dawn period. Previous Discussion... A disorganized frontal wave will traverse over the Northeast this afternoon and evening with scattered showers and a perhaps a few thunderstorms. Latest SPC meso-analysis reveals no significant surface based CAPE over southern New England within the warm sector of the wave of low pressure moving through the region. However, steep mid-level lapse rates are contributing to elevated instability that could support a few rumbles of thunder across western MA/CT and possibly over some locations near the south coast this evening. Areas along and north of I-90 are forecast to be in the cool sector, thus not expecting any thunderstorm activity north of that mark. Any remaining showers and thunderstorms are forecast to clear to the south and east around or just before midnight. Thereafter we can expect gradual clearing with winds shifting to the west/northwest. Low temps bottom out in the low 40s across northwestern MA and mi to upper 40s elsewhere. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH 6 PM TUESDAY/... Tomorrow A dry surface cold front pushes through the region during the day tomorrow. This will support dry conditions and west/northwest winds throughout the day. Skies will be clear to start which will allow surface temps to warm to the upper 60s to near 70 in some locations by the mid-afternoon hours. After a sunny start, we will begin to see increasing diurnal cu during the afternoon thanks to steep low- level lapse rates from cooler air aloft. Overall a warm/dry afternoon. Warmest temps will be focused in the CT River Valley and over southeastern MA where downsloping from WNW winds should help temps over achieve. Tomorrow Night Very quiet tomorrow night. Clear skies and light west/northwest winds. There is some question as to whether or not the atmosphere decouples overnight. This will govern how far temperatures are able to fall with radiational cooling. Will have a better idea by tomorrow, but for now have leaned on a blend of CONSMOS and NBM for low temps in the low to mid 40s on Tuesday morning. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... Highlights: * Broad trough settled over the region for much of the upcoming week, with a brief period of mid level ridging in the Tuesday- Wednesday timeframe * Near to above normal temperatures, with an unsettled pattern developing late this week Based on the latest guidance suite, still have the greatest confidence in the forecast details into early Wednesday. After then, there is little consistency with the timing and amplitude of some synoptic features, leading to low confidence in the forecast details. Kept a broad period of unsettled weather from late Wednesday into Saturday, but not expecting this to be a total washout this entire time. Expecting it will be a couple more days before these details come into better focus. All that said, there has been a consistent signal for near to above normal temperatures through this portion of the forecast. High pressure dominates our weather Tuesday into Wednesday. Thinking we could get through most of Wednesday dry, especially across the eastern half of southern New England. Just a low risk for some showers during the afternoon farther west. More likely to see rainfall arrive some time Wednesday night into Thursday as a low pressure moves into the Great Lakes, with a secondary low pressure possibly developing toward the Mid Atlantic coast. This should move offshore Friday, with a lingering cold front into Saturday. A large high pressure over the northern Plains states should become more of a factor in our weather some time Sunday. Moisture is not particularly impressive, so not expecting a lot of rainfall during the second half of this week. This should be a good thing, by permitting area waterways a chance to drain further. && .AVIATION /06Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
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Forecast Confidence Levels: Low - less than 30 percent. Moderate - 30 to 60 percent. High- greater than 60 percent. 06z TAF Update: Through 12z Monday: High confidence in TAF/trends, though moderate on fog coverage. VFR for most TAFs; however IFR-LIFR visby mist/fog is ongoing at BAF where winds were light/calm. We could see fog developing at BED and perhaps BDL thru daybreak but this is still a bit uncertain. SW winds around 10-15 kt for southeast MA/Cape airports; otherwise winds become light westerly for the remaining airports. Today: High confidence. Mainly VFR, with any sub-VFR fog that developed overnight to trend VFR shortly after 12z as W/WNW winds start to increase. Will see SCT-BKN VFR decks today (bases 045-070, on the higher end of that range in aftn). With a light pressure gradient to start, winds are a little tricky/nuanced. Light W winds begin the morning before the increase in WNW speeds/gusts; that could put a period of brief sea- breezes at south-coastal sites (SWlys) and at BOS (SElys 4-7 kt between 14-16z indicated with TEMPO). Anticipate after 16z that winds become WNW and increase to around 10-15 kt with gusts 20-25 kt all areas, strongest over the terrain. Tonight: High confidence. VFR. Outside chance at a shower affecting ACK late tonight/midnight. WNW winds continue but slacken to around 5-8 kt. Tuesday: High confidence. VFR mainly SKC. NW winds increase to 8-12 kt with gusts to 20 kt starting mid-morning and continuing til sundown. KBOS TAF...High confidence in TAF. VFR with SCT 050 bases. Could see a possible sea-breeze develop around 14-16z but would be brief as prevailing WNW gradient wins out after 16z, with WNWlys 10-14 kt with gusts in the low-20s kt range. KBDL TAF...High confidence in TAF. Mainly VFR. There could be a brief period of IFR BR/BCFG near the airport early this morning but will dissipate shortly after sunrise as W/WNW winds increase to around 10 kt. Outlook /Tuesday Night through Friday/... Tuesday: VFR. Breezy. Tuesday Night: VFR. Wednesday: VFR. Slight chance SHRA. Wednesday Night: VFR. Chance SHRA. Thursday: VFR. Breezy. Chance SHRA. Thursday Night: Mainly VFR, with local MVFR possible. Slight chance SHRA. Friday: Mainly VFR, with areas MVFR possible. Chance SHRA.
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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. Tonight Some showers and possible a rumble of thunder possible over the south coastal waters before midnight tonight. Otherwise, expect gusty southwest winds to diminish as winds shift to the west/northwest overnight. Sustained speeds fall to 5 to 10 knots by tomorrow morning with gusts less than 20 knots. Seas begin to subside but remain high enough to warrant Small Craft Advisory headlines for the outer marine zones. Tomorrow and Tomorrow Night Seas continue to subside to sub-Small Craft Advisory criteria by tomorrow evening. Otherwise, expect relatively quiet conditions over the coastal waters with modest 10-15 knot west/northwest winds. Outlook /Tuesday Night through Friday/... Tuesday: Winds less than 25 kt. Seas locally approaching 5 ft. Tuesday Night through Wednesday: Winds less than 25 kt. Wednesday Night: Winds less than 25 kt. Slight chance of rain showers. Thursday through Friday: Winds less than 25 kt. Seas locally approaching 5 ft. Slight chance of rain showers.
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&& .BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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CT...None. MA...None. RI...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 2 PM EDT this afternoon for ANZ232>235-237-250. Small Craft Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for ANZ254>256.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...Belk/RM NEAR TERM...Belk/Loconto/RM SHORT TERM...RM LONG TERM...Belk AVIATION...Loconto/KS MARINE...Loconto/KS

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