2 pm Wednesday Afternoon Weather Update For Western & Central Mass

Heavy downpours with isolated thunderstorms have developed across the Springfield Metro as well as across the lower Pioneer Valley. These heavy downpours & isolated thunderstorms ae moving towards the east-northeast at a forward speed of about 30-35 mph.

Based on the current motion, these heavy downpours & isolated thunderstorms will move into the eastern Hilltowns of Western Mass & the western Worcester Hills over the next 30 minutes or so & should reach as far east as Brimfield, Sturbridge, Southbridge & Charlton by about 2:45 pm.

These heavy downpours & isolated thunderstorms are then anticipated to reach the Worcester Metro, as well as the I-395 corridor towards 3 pm or so.

Areas along I-190 as far north as Holden, Princeton and Leominster may be affected by these heavy downpours and isolated thunderstorms by about 3 pm or so.

A Few Showers & Thunderstorms Are Possible This Afternoon Across Western & Central Mass

Radar imagery at the time of this post showed a line of heavy showers & isolated thunderstorms tracking eastward along the Route 2 corridor.

These showers and isolated thunderstorms are currently moving through Athol and Winchendon and will reach Fitchburg and Leominster by about 12:15-12:30 pm. These showers and isolated thunderstorms will only affect far northern parts of Worcester County & will move to the east into northeast Mass & southeast New Hampshire towards 1 pm.

The rest of Western and Central Mass are dry, but warm and humid. I do think that we may see a few showers and thunderstorms across the region this afternoon & especially during the mid and late afternoon hours. Any thunderstorms that do form will be capable of producing heavy downpours and lightning. That said, it seems that more areas than not will be dry this afternoon. I will be keeping an eye on the thunderstorm activity & will have updates as needed.

Some MUCH less humid air is expected to move into Western & Central Mass for both THURSDAY & FRIDAY. Lots of sunshine are expected both days with high temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s. Dew point temperatures Thursday will be between 45 and 50 Degrees. Dew point temperatures Friday will be in the low 50s.

THIS WEEKEND still looks very nice with lots of sunshine expected for both Saturday & Sunday. High temperatures both Saturday & Sunday will be around 80 Degrees. Dew point temperatures Saturday will be in the low 50s. Dew point temperatures Sunday will be in the mid to upper 50s.

4:30 pm Tuesday Afternoon Weather Update For Western & Central Mass

Heavy downpours & a few thunderstorms are making their way northeastward across Worcester County at the time of this post. The heaviest rainfall is occurring in the western Worcester Hills as well as along the Mass Pike from Sturbridge to Auburn & along I-395.

This really heavy rain will be pushing into the Worcester Metro over the next 15-30 minutes & will also affect much of the I-190 and I-290 corridors starting within the next 30 minutes or so.

This very heavy rain is, obviously, occurring during the afternoon commute & those of you traveling right now across Central Mass need to expect very slow going due to blinding rain, localized flooding on roads & highways & the risk of hydroplaning.

This heavy rain is expected to start moving out of Central Mass by 5:30-6 pm. That may not be it though as I'm also watching widespread showers and thunderstorms, some of them strong, now pushing into far Western and Southwestern Mass. This new round of showers and thunderstorms will gradually cross Western Mass over the next 1-2 hours & then potentially reach Central Mass by between 6 and 7 pm.