Hot & Very Humid The Rest Of Today; Strong To Severe Thunderstorms Mid-Afternoon Into This Evening

Hot & Very Humid The Rest Of Today: It’s just before 11 am when I’m writing this update and temperatures across the region are already closing in on 90 Degrees with heat index readings at near 95 Degrees. I expect a hot and very humid afternoon across all of Western and Central Mass with temperatures topping out at around 95 Degrees and heat index readings of around 100 to 105 Degrees. Even though there is expected to be a 10 to 20 mph southwest wind this afternoon, it likely will feel more like a blast furnace than a relief. Strong to Severe Thunderstorm Threat From Mid To Late Afternoon Into This Evening: The other forecast issue for this afternoon is going to be the chance for some strong to severe thunderstorms. Weather analysis as of late morning revealed a weather disturbance pushing northeastward from eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It looks likely that this disturbance will cross our area during the early and mid-afternoon hours and could be a trigger for strong to severe thunderstorm activity. This is going to be something that will need to be watched extremely closely as any thunderstorms could be strong to severe with strong wind gusts the main threat, along with torrential downpours. A second round of thunderstorms, this one much more likely, is expected with a cold front between about 6-7 pm and 10 pm this evening. While there is expected to be a significant amount of unstable air around, the amount of shear looks low. This means that perhaps a couple of thunderstorms within the line of storms that is expected may be strong to severe with strong wind gusts the main threat, along with torrential downpours. To sum it up – Some strong to severe thunderstorms with strong wind gusts and torrential downpours look possible between about 2 pm and 5 pm this afternoon. This will be followed by a line of thunderstorms, a couple of which may be strong to severe with strong wind gusts, that will move through between about 6 pm and 10 pm this evening. Finally – A return to much more tolerable temperatures and much lower humidity is expected throughout this upcoming week. 70 to 75 Degree high temperatures are expected from Monday through Friday with low humidity levels.