5 pm Weather Update For Western & Central Mass

Right now, all is quiet across Western and Central Mass & I think that things will remain quiet for the next couple of hours or so.

Beyond this, there are a couple of areas of thunderstorms that I'll be watching.

The first area of thunderstorms are found across southern Vermont and southern New Hampshire. These thunderstorms are moving in a east-southeast to southeast direction. It is possible that some of these thunderstorms may brush northern parts of Worcester County, mainly along and north of Route 2 around and just after 8 pm this evening. A majority of these thunderstorms over southern Vermont and southern New Hampshire should miss a large part of our area.

The second area of thunderstorms that I'm watching are located across central and west-central New York State between about Syracuse and Oneonta. These thunderstorms are moving towards the east-southeast and southeast at a forward speed of about 35-40 mph.

Based on the current forward motion of these thunderstorms, it seems possible that a majority of them may miss a large part of Western and Central Mass and instead move across Connecticut between about 8 pm and 11 pm this evening.

That being said, it's possible that the northern end of these thunderstorms may impact the southern Berkshires and perhaps the lower Pioneer Valley between about 8 and 10 pm this evening & it is something that I'll be watching. For now, the rest of Western and Central Mass may miss being affected by these storms, but I'll be watching just in case.

Some Scattered Showers & Thunderstorms Can Be Expected Across Western & Central Mass This Afternoon & This Evening

It appears that there will be some scattered showers and thunderstorms around at times across the entire area throughout this afternoon & this evening as a frontal boundary gradually sinks southward across the region.

At the time of this post, radar imagery indicated that heavy downpours have developed over the southern Berkshires into parts of northwestern Connecticut. These heavy downpours are moving in a southeasterly direction & thus these particular downpours will not be a threat to the area.

I do think that we will see some increase in the coverage of showers and thunderstorms as the afternoon progresses with most of the showers and thunderstorms occurring across areas near and south of the Mass Pike. Some scattered showers and thunderstorms are then expected to persist into this evening across the area.

It should be noted that the highest areas of unstable air are found to the southwest of our area across areas from central and southwestern Connecticut and southern and southeastern New York State southward into the Mid-Atlantic states. This is where I think most of the thunderstorm activity will occur later this afternoon and tonight. Also, this is the area where I think most of the severe weather will occur.

That being said, the atmosphere is unstable across the entire area & this means that some of the thunderstorms may be on the strong side. Any strong thunderstorms may produce gusty winds, frequent lightning and heavy downpours.

I will be keeping a very close eye on things throughout this afternoon & will have updates as needed. I know many of you have outdoor plans this afternoon and this evening. My advice to you is to not cancel those plans, but at the same time, keep a close eye on the weather.

Also, those of you that you will be outdoors this afternoon & evening, I urge you to drink lots of fluids, find a shaded spot to hang out & be aware if you are getting too hot. If you do find yourself becoming too hot, find an air-conditioned spot immediately as the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke will be high due to the continuing heat & humidity.

11 pm Friday Evening Weather Update For Western & Central Mass

There are two thunderstorms that I'm tracking right now.

The first thunderstorm is mainly producing heavy downpours & a minimal amount of lightning. This thunderstorm is currently located near Amherst & is moving to the southeast at a forward speed of about 40 mph.

It is expected that this thunderstorm will cross a large part of central and southern Worcester County over the next hour - starting in the western Worcester Hills by 11:15-11:30 pm and reaching the Worcester Metro by about midnight. This first storm should exit the area by about 12:15-12:30 am.

A second area of thunderstorms currently stretches from Pittsfield to Lee at the time of this post. This thunderstorm is producing heavy downpours, a moderate amount of lightning and up to 40-50 mph wind gusts. This thunderstorm is moving to the southeast at a forward speed of about 40 mph.

It is anticipated that this second area of thunderstorms will reach the lower Pioneer Valley of Western Mass by about 11:30 pm. From there, these thunderstorms look to reach southwestern parts of Worcester County by about 12-12:15 am or so. After that, these thunderstorms look to cross southern parts of Worcester County & especially areas near and south of the Mass Pike between midnight and 1 am. Heavy downpours, gusty winds of up to 45 mph and perhaps some lightning will accompany these thunderstorms when they move through.