50 To 55 mph Wind Gusts Are Expected For A Few Hours Starting Around Midnight Tonight Across Western & Central Mass

For This Afternoon: Cloudy skies are expected throughout this afternoon & it’ll turn increasingly more windy. Temperatures will be near 55 Degrees. Winds will be Southwest and increase to 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30-35 mph by mid to late afternoon.

50 To 55 mph Wind Gusts Are Expected For A Few Hours Starting Around Midnight Tonight: An area of low pressure is expected to rapidly strengthen as it moves across northern New England tonight. As it does so, it’ll lead to rapid barometric pressure rises on the backside of the storm causing a period of windy to very windy conditions across Western and Central Mass for a few hours tonight starting around midnight. Additionally, on the front side of the low pressure system, it is expected that a fast moving line of heavy showers and a few thunderstorms will cross Western and Central Mass between 9 pm and 11 pm this evening.

If there is a piece of good news, it is that the winds on the backside of the low pressure system do not look quite as strong as they did yesterday. That said, I still think that we’ll probably see 50 to 55 mph wind gusts out of the west and northwest starting around midnight tonight and lasting until about sunrise Thursday morning.

So, let me go into more detail into what I think tonight might be like across the region:

Heavy Showers & A Few Thunderstorms This Evening: A narrow line of heavy showers and a few thunderstorms is expected to rapidly move from west to east across the region this evening.

Current indications are that this line of showers and thunderstorms will move through between about 9 pm and 11 pm this evening. Given the fast moving nature of these showers and storms (probably will be moving at a forward speed of 50-60 mph), I do think that there will be some wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph that accompany this convective line. Additionally, a few rumbles of thunder look pretty likely when this line of showers and thunderstorms move through.

Windy To Very Windy Conditions Expected From About Midnight Tonight Until Sunrise Thursday Morning (Wind Gusts Of 50-55 mph Expected): Once that line of showers and thunderstorms move through, the winds are expected to rapidly increase by about midnight tonight across the entire area. This is due to the rapid barometric pressure rises on the backside of that low pressure system as it rapidly strengthens over northern New England.

I do think that we’ll probably see West to Northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 to 55 mph occur across the entire area from midnight tonight until about sunrise Thursday morning. That said, it would not surprise me to see some isolated 60 mph wind gusts in the Berkshires and on the hilltops in the Worcester Hills.

These windy to very windy conditions will likely lead to some downed tree limbs and some downed power lines. Isolated power outages look likely across the region.

Turning To Thursday – Sunny to partly sunny skies and windy conditions are expected throughout the day on Thursday. High temperatures will be between 45 and 50 Degrees. Winds will be West to Northwest at 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph.

Damaging Winds Are Expected Between 11 pm Tomorrow Night & 6 am Thursday Morning Across Western & Central Mass

I am becoming very concerned that we are going to see several hours of very strong winds across the entire area during tomorrow night. These very strong winds have the potential to bring down trees and power lines leading to at least scattered power outages.

Windy conditions are expected to continue throughout this afternoon with West to Northwest of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35-45 mph likely.

As we get into tomorrow and tomorrow night, an area of low pressure is expected to rapidly strengthen as it tracks across northern New England during tomorrow evening. As the low pressure system reaches the Maine coast, it is expected to produce rapid barometric pressure rises across our area between 10 pm tomorrow night and sunrise Thursday morning. These rapid barometric pressure rises will lead to a period of very strong winds for a few hours beginning just before midnight and lasting until about sunrise Thursday morning. These very strong winds, I think, will lead to the potential for quite a bit of wind damage, including downed trees, downed power lines and at least scattered power outages.

Even More Details: As that low pressure system approaches the area tomorrow afternoon and evening, there will be some scattered showers around beginning during the late afternoon hours and lasting through the evening hours. Additionally, Southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph are expected during the afternoon and early evening hours.

The winds will then shift to a West to Northwest direction and rapidly increase to 25 to 35 mph with gusts to AT LEAST 60 mph between 10 pm and midnight tomorrow night. Wind gusts of at least 60 mph out of the West and Northwest will then continue during the after midnight hours. In fact, I have serious concerns that there could be wind gusts of up to 65 to even 70 mph, especially on the hilltops in the Worcester Hills and the Berkshires.

The worst of the winds, where 60 to even 70 mph wind gusts, look to occur from 10 pm tomorrow night until about 6-7 am Thursday morning. As I already mentioned, I think that quite a bit of wind damage, including downed trees, downed power lines and scattered to even widespread power outages could occur.

I am keeping very close tabs on tomorrow night's wind event & will have more updates for you as needed.

Another Round Of Windy Conditions Are Expected On Tuesday Across Western & Central Mass; Very Windy Conditions Possible Wednesday Night

For Tonight: A cold front is expected to push across the area during this evening. This front will bring with it some scattered showers from now until about midnight tonight. Most of the showers are expected to be light in intensity, however an isolated moderate to heavy shower is not out of the question.

Once that front moves to the east by midnight, it’ll usher in some colder air in the way of some gusty northwesterly winds during the after midnight hours. Additionally, skies will become clear to partly cloudy during the after midnight hours.

Low temperatures will be around 35 Degrees. Winds will be South to Southwest at 10 to 20 mph before midnight and West to Northwest at 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph after midnight.

Tuesday: A windy day is expected on Tuesday with sunny to partly sunny skies expected. High temperatures will be between 50 and 55 Degrees. Winds will be West to Northwest at 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 to 45 mph.

Tuesday Night: Clear to partly cloudy skies are expected during Tuesday night. Low temperatures will be between 30 and 35 Degrees. Winds will be West at 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph.

Wednesday: Another frontal system is expected to push across mainly northern New England during Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening. It appears that most of the showers with this front should occur across Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. That being said, a passing shower or two is possible during late Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening.

So, Wednesday is expected to be cloudy. There may be an isolated shower or two late in the day. High temperatures will be near 55 Degrees. Winds will be Southwest at 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph.

Wednesday night looks cloudy with a possible isolated shower or two during the evening. Skies are then expected to become clear to partly cloudy during the after midnight hours. It also looks like it’ll become very windy by midnight and remain very windy during the after midnight hours. Low temperatures will be between 35 and 40 Degrees. Winds will be Southwest at 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph during the evening. Winds will then become West to Northwest and increase to 25 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 to 60 mph by midnight. West to Northwest winds of 25 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 to 60 mph are then expected during the after midnight.

Thursday & Friday: A northwesterly wind flow will be in place on Thursday leading to a continuation of windy conditions all day long. A high pressure system will then build over the area on Thursday night into Friday. Yet another frontal system is expected to approach the area by late Friday.

Thursday looks partly sunny and windy with high temperatures near 50 Degrees.

Thursday night is expected to be clear with low temperatures between 25 and 30 Degrees.

Friday looks partly sunny in the morning with skies becoming cloudy during the afternoon. Any showers associated with the front will hold off until Friday night. High temperatures will be near 50 Degrees.