4:20 pm Friday Afternoon Weather Update For Western & Central Mass

Radar imagery as of the time of this post indicated that there were a couple of thunderstorms occurring over the middle and upper Pioneer Valley of Western Mass. These thunderstorms are moving to the east at a forward speed of about 20-25 mph.

The thunderstorm now near the northern end of the Quabbin will push its way across northern Worcester County over the next hour or so, more or less paralleling the Route 2 corridor. This thunderstorm should reach areas around Fitchburg and Leominster by about 5:15 pm or so. Heavy downpours, some gusty winds and some lightning can be expected with this thunderstorm.

The other thunderstorm that's now located near Northampton looks rather strong & will move to the east reaching the western Worcester Hills by about 5:15 pm or so. This thunderstorm then looks to potentially reach the Worcester Metro by about 6-6:15 pm or so. It appears that this particular thunderstorm will parallel the Route 9 corridor as it moves eastward from the middle Pioneer Valley through central Worcester County. Heavy downpours, gusty winds and lightning is likely with this thunderstorm.

Areas near and south of the Mass Pike & Route 20 are safe for now in terms of thunderstorm activity. It should be noted though that there are a couple of additional thunderstorms now located over far western Mass near Great Barrington that'll need to be watched for areas around the Mass Pike from the Springfield Metro by 5:30-6 pm through Central Mass after 6:30-7 pm.

A Few Showers & Thunderstorms Are Possible Late Friday Afternoon & Friday Evening Across Western & Central Mass

For The Rest Of This Afternoon: A mixture of some sunshine and lots of clouds can be expected throughout the rest of this afternoon. In addition, a very isolated shower or two is possible. Any showers will be very hit or miss & more than likely most areas will stay dry.

Temperatures will be between 75 and 80 Degrees. Winds will be Southwest at around 10 mph.

Tonight: A warm front is expected to lift northward and cross our area during the after midnight hours of tonight.

Cloudy skies are expected throughout tonight. There will be a few showers around during this evening with widespread showers expected during the after midnight hours of tonight.

Low temperatures will be around 60 Degrees. Winds will be Southwest at around 10 mph.

Friday: That warm front will continue to cross our area during the morning. Once that occurs, we will find ourselves in a warm and humid air mass for a few hours during Friday afternoon before a cold front moves across the area during the late afternoon and evening hours.

Widespread showers are expected to continue for a few hours during Friday morning before they come to an end around late morning. It is then expected that there will be a mixture of sunshine and clouds for a few hours during Friday afternoon. This will allow temperatures to reach 75 to 80 Degrees with dew point temperatures of between 60 and 65 Degrees during Friday afternoon.

Some scattered showers and thunderstorms will become quite possible during late Friday afternoon and Friday evening as that cold front moves through the area. My thinking as of right now is that these scattered showers and thunderstorms will occur between about 3-4 pm and 8 pm across Western Mass and between about 4-5 pm and 9 pm across Central Mass.

The combination of forcing from the cold front and the warm and humid air mass will lead to an environment that’s somewhat favorable for a couple of the thunderstorms to be on the strong to severe side. Any strong or severe thunderstorms will be capable of producing gusty winds, torrential downpours and frequent lightning.

Saturday: That same frontal boundary is expected to play a huge factor in our potential weather for Saturday. There continues to be uncertainty as to whether the front will completely clear the area or not. If it does, it would lead to a decent weather day on Saturday. On the other hand, if that front gets hung up and remains near our area, it would mean a day where we see on and off showers all day long.

At this point, I think that the front may travel just far enough south so that we will miss out on seeing a washout type day on Saturday. Instead, I think that Saturday will be cloudy all day long. In addition, there will probably be a few showers around from time to time. A majority of these showers will probably occur during the morning. In addition, central and especially southern Worcester County and the lower Pioneer Valley has the greater chance of seeing a few showers during Saturday morning & northern Worcester County may end up staying dry all day long.

High temperatures Saturday will be near 75 Degrees. Winds will be North at 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday: Sunday still looks to be the nicer of the two days this weekend. Partly sunny skies can be expected with high temperatures near 80 Degrees.

The Weather Will Turn Partly Sunny For Wednesday & Thursday Across Western & Central Mass

For The Rest Of This Afternoon: Cloudy skies can be expected across Central Mass throughout the rest of this afternoon. In addition, a few showers can be expected across central and southern parts of Worcester County. Northern parts of Worcester County are expected to be dry throughout the rest of this afternoon. Temperatures will be between 65 and 70 Degrees.

For Western Mass, some breaks in the clouds, which will allow for a bit of sunshine from time to time throughout the rest of this afternoon. That said, it is expected that a few showers will affect the lower Pioneer Valley during this afternoon. Temperatures will be near 75 Degrees.

Winds across the entire area will be North to Northwest at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight: Cloudy skies can be expected during a large part of tonight. Skies will likely become partly cloudy towards morning.

Low temperatures will be between 55 and 60 Degrees. Winds will be Northwest at 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday & Thursday: A dry weather pattern looks to set up for both Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesday looks partly sunny with high temperatures near 80 Degrees. It will feel rather comfortable with dew point temperatures in the low to mid 50s. Winds will be West to Northwest at 10 to 20 mph.

Thursday looks to feature a mixture of sunshine and clouds. High temperatures will be near 80 Degrees. Dew point temperatures will be in the low to mid 50s leading to rather comfortable humidity levels. Winds will be Southwest at around 10 mph.

Friday & Saturday: A frontal boundary is expected to play a big part in determining what the weather is going to be like for both Friday and Saturday.

That frontal system is expected to slowly push through the region during the day on Friday. This means that skies will be cloudy throughout the day on Friday. In addition, I expect that there will be scattered showers throughout the day & a few thunderstorms are a possibility during the afternoon. While severe thunderstorms are not currently expected, it is possible that an isolated strong thunderstorm is possible that could produce some briefly gusty winds. High temperatures Friday will be near 75 Degrees.

There is quite a bit of uncertainty with the forecast for Saturday as there are questions as to whether that front will completely clear the area or will it try to lift back northward towards our area. This difference in how the front acts makes a world of difference in terms of what the weather might be like on Saturday.

On one hand, if that front completely clears the area, it would mean a partly sunny day on Saturday.

On the other hand, if that front does lift northward towards our area, it would mean Saturday would be cloudy & there would be on and off showers all day long.

My Thinking For Saturday’s Weather Is That this is very, very tough forecast & because of this, large changes in the forecast may be needed in the days to come.

For now though, I think that the front might be close enough to give the entire area a cloudy day on Saturday. In addition, there might be a few isolated showers around from time to time, especially across areas near and south of the Mass Pike. At this point, I am not expecting a washout type of day, but instead you might get rained on for a few minutes from time to time.

High temperatures Saturday will be around 75 Degrees.

Sunday: At this point, Sunday looks to be the nicer of the two days this weekend. Partly sunny skies can be expected with high temperatures near 80 Degrees.