Periods Of Light Freezing Rain & Areas Of Freezing Drizzle Likely In The Worcester Hills & The Berkshires Tonight Into Early Sunday Morning

Temperatures as of the time of this writing are in the low to mid 30s across Central Mass and in the upper 30s to low 40s across Western Mass. As expected we are stuck on the cold side of a stationary front that's stretched across far southern parts of Southern New England. The much warmer air on the other side of the front did make it as far northeast as southwestern Connecticut and southeastern New York State where temperatures are in the upper 70s to low 80s at the time of this writing.

Scattered rain showers are expected throughout The Rest Of This Afternoon across the entire area. That said, some areas of freezing rain showers are possible in the Worcester Hills where temperatures are near freezing. Temperatures throughout the rest of this afternoon will remain in the low to mid 30s across Central Mass and will remain in the upper 30s to low 40s across Western Mass.

Tonight's weather forecast is a tricky one and will hinge on which areas drop to near or below freezing and which areas remain above freezing for temperatures. The areas that see temperatures fall to near or below freezing will likely see periods of light freezing rain and areas of freezing drizzle from time to time while areas that see temperatures remain above freezing will remain as rain.

I do think that areas including the entire Pioneer Valley of Western Mass and areas near and south of the Mass Pike will remain above freezing tonight and because of that, I expect some scattered rain showers from time to time throughout tonight.

Elsewhere, areas north of the Mass Pike and particularly areas in the Worcester Hills and the Berkshires will probably see temperatures near or below freezing. Because of this, scattered showers of freezing rain can be expected from time to time tonight leading to slick travel. Be aware of this, if you are out and about in the towns that are located in the Worcester Hills and the Berkshires. This does include I-190, Route 9, Route 122, Route 32, Route 62 and Route 2.

Turning To Sunday Morning - Scattered showers of freezing rain are expected across the Worcester Hills and the Berkshires with scattered rain showers expected elsewhere across the region. This will lead to slick travel in the Worcester Hills and especially the northern Worcester Hills and the Berkshires.

Sunday Afternoon looks cloudy with some areas of drizzle and fog expected. Temperatures across the entire area will rise into the upper 30s to low 40s.

Another round of scattered rain showers are expected throughout Sunday Night. It should be noted that areas near and north of Route 2 may see some areas of freezing rain showers as temperatures may be near freezing. Low temperatures will be between 34 and 39 Degrees.

Monday looks like a much milder day under cloudy skies. A few isolated showers are possible from time to time throughout the day, but it will not be a washout by any means. High temperatures will be between 60 and 65 Degrees.

A cold front is expected to push through the region during Monday evening bringing with it a line of widespread showers and a few possible thunderstorms as it moves through between 8 pm and midnight Monday evening.

Plenty In The Way Of Showers Are Expected This Weekend Across Western & Central Mass

For Tonight: A warm front is expected to push through the region late tonight.

Clear to partly cloudy skies are expected this evening with cloudy skies expected during the after midnight hours of tonight. In addition, some isolated rain and snow showers are expected during the after midnight hours.

Low temperatures will be between 25 and 30 Degrees. Winds will be West at 8 to 16 mph.

Friday: Another day with high fire danger levels are expected throughout Friday.

Skies throughout the day on Friday will be mostly cloudy with high temperatures around 55 Degrees. Winds will be West to Southwest at 10 to 20 mph.

Friday Night: A nearly stationary frontal boundary is likely to begin setting up somewhere across far southern parts of southern New England. The exact position of this stationary front is going to be extremely important in determining what not only Friday night’s weather is going to be like, but also what the weekend weather is going to be like.

Cloudy skies are expected on Friday night. Showers are expected to increase in coverage during the evening hours with widespread showers likely during the after midnight hours.

Low temperatures will be in the upper 30s to low 40s. Winds will be South to Southwest at 5 to 10 mph for most of the night, but will become North to Northeast towards morning.

Saturday: Saturday’s temperature forecast continues to be extremely tricky and will depend on exactly where that stationary front sets up. Areas to south of the front will likely see high temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s while areas north of the front will only see temperatures that remain in the upper 30s to low 40s. Even a 10 to 20 mile error in figuring out where the front might set up would lead to a huge error in the forecast for some areas.

My experience in forecasting the weather here in Southern New England tells me that the weather forecast guidance tends to push fronts too quickly to the north, especially with the depth of the cold air located across northern New England. This is a very common weather forecast guidance error that we see in the Spring.

This means that I think that most, if not all of Western and Central Mass will probably stay on the colder side of the frontal boundary. The exception to this might be across the lower parts of the Pioneer Valley, including the Springfield Metro.

My forecast for Saturday for much of Western and Central Mass calls for cloudy skies throughout the day along with a few showers from time to time. In addition, I expect areas of drizzle and fog at times. Temperatures will be steady in the upper 30s to low 40s. The exception to this is across the lower Pioneer Valley, including the Springfield Metro where mostly cloudy skies are expected with high temperatures ranging from near 55 Degrees in the Springfield Metro to near 65 Degrees across areas along I-91 south of Springfield to the Connecticut border.

Saturday Night: That frontal boundary will push back to the south putting the entire area on the chillier side of the front.

Cloudy skies are expected throughout Saturday night and there will be some scattered rain showers around. That said, we will need to keep an eye on how much cold air seeps southward into the area as any sub-freezing temperatures would cause any rain showers to turn to areas of light freezing rain. Areas that have the greatest chance of seeing periods of light freezing rain looks to be across the Worcester Hills and especially the northern Worcester Hills.

Low temperatures will be in the mid to upper 30s. Winds will be Northeast at 6 to 12 mph.

Sunday: Cloudy skies with areas of drizzle and fog can be expected throughout Sunday. In addition, some on and off showers can be expected from time to time on Sunday, especially across northern Worcester County.

High temperatures will be near 45 Degrees.

Monday: An area of low pressure moving along that stationary frontal boundary will move across the region during Monday. As it does so, it will cause the front to lift north of our area putting us in the mild sector of the front.

This means that periods of rain can be expected throughout the day on Monday with high temperatures between 60 and 65 Degrees.

Tuesday & Wednesday: Better weather can be expected for Tuesday and Wednesday as high pressure builds in behind that low pressure system.

Tuesday looks partly sunny with high temperatures near 45 Degrees.

Wednesday is expected to be sunny to partly sunny with high temperatures near 45 Degrees.

Low Pressure Should Pass Far Enough Offshore To Not Be A Weather Problem For Western & Central Mass Late Tonight & Wednesday Morning

For Tonight & Wednesday: An area of low pressure is expected to pass well south and east of Nantucket late tonight and Wednesday morning. The track of this low pressure system will be far enough east to not be a problem in terms of steady rain or snow for our area.

Skies tonight will feature varying amounts of clouds with low temperatures near 30 Degrees. Winds will be West to Northwest at 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday is expected to start out partly sunny, but skies will be cloudy from the late morning hours right through the afternoon hours. In addition, a few rain and even snow showers can be expected during the afternoon into the early evening hours as a weak trough of low pressure crosses the region. High temperatures will range from the upper 30s to low 40s across the Worcester Hills and the Berkshires to 45 to 50 Degrees elsewhere across the area. Winds will be West to Northwest at 10 to 15 mph.

Wednesday Night: That weak trough of low pressure will exit to the east during the evening with an area of high pressure building into the region during the overnight hours.

This means that any leftover isolated rain or snow showers will come to an end during the early evening hours. This will be followed by clear skies throughout the overnight hours of Wednesday night. Low temperatures will be between 25 and 30 Degrees. Winds will be West to Northwest at 10 to 20 mph.

Thursday: An area of high pressure will control the weather throughout the day on Thursday.

Lots of sunshine can be expected throughout the day on Thursday with high temperatures between 47 and 52 Degrees. Winds will be West to Northwest at 10 to 20 mph.

It should be noted that the brush fire danger is likely to be on the high side due to a combination of low humidity levels, dry pre-leaf conditions and gusty winds.

Friday: High pressure will continue to control the weather throughout the day on Friday.

Partly sunny skies are expected on Friday with high temperatures between 50 and 55 Degrees. Winds will be West to Northwest at 10 to 20 mph.

The brush fire danger is likely to be on the high side once again throughout the day on Friday due to the combination of low humidity levels, gusty winds and dry pre-leaf conditions.

This Weekend: The weather for this weekend looks pretty active as a frontal boundary will be positioned across the region. This front will be the demarcation line between warm temperatures to the south of the front and some quite cold air located to the north of the front. Where this front sets up is going to be important in determining what sort of weather we see this weekend.

On one hand, if that front lifts well north of our area, it could lead to a very mild weekend (especially Saturday) with perhaps some scattered showers and thunderstorms from time to time. On the other hand, if that front is draped right across the region, we will be in for a pretty unsettled weekend with quite a bit in the way of on and off rain showers throughout the entire weekend. Another possibility is for the front to drop to our south and allow some of that cold air to invade the region. This would lead to precipitation in the form of both rain and snow to occur from time to time throughout the weekend.

At this point, I’m leaning towards a scenario where the front has a tough time lifting northward and remaining either over the area or just barely south of the area. This means that I do think that we are in for a pretty unsettled and miserable weekend in terms of weather.

Saturday looks cloudy and there will be on and off rain throughout the day. High temperatures will be near 50 Degrees.

While steady rain looks quite possible throughout the night on Saturday night, there is the possibility for a snow-rain mix to occur at times during the late night hours of Saturday night. Low temperatures will be near 35 Degrees.

Rain looks quite possible throughout the day on Sunday with high temperatures near 50 Degrees.