Big Changes Ahead!!

Hit or miss showers and thunderstorms are possible through midnight when a cold front will sweep through the region and bring some big changes! We are not expecting any severe weather. But torrential rain could cause some brief poor drainage flooding. After two weeks of a steamy air mass, less humid air finally streams in overnight and sticks around the next few days. Get ready for a gorgeous stretch of weather!

 Wednesday through Friday will have a comfortable feel to the air. There will be abundant sunshine, temperatures around 80 degrees, and low humidity. A warming trend will start this weekend with the humidity slowly building back in. Summer heat returns! Especially next week when temperatures could approach 90 degrees.

While we are looking at a great week of weather for outdoor plans, if you need rain for the lawn or garden, you’re out of luck. Rain remains absent through the weekend into the early part of next week.

Tonight: Early showers and thunderstorms. Areas of fog. Slow clearing, turning less humid. Low: 63-66.
Wednesday: Partly to mostly sunny, dry & pleasant. High: low 80s.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, delightful. High: 75-80.
Friday: Mostly sunny, spectacular. High: 76-81.
Saturday: Sun mixing with high clouds. Turning a bit more humid. High: 82-86.
Sunday: Partly cloudy, warm and humid. High: 83-87.

Warmer Days Ahead

A warming trend will begin on Friday, culminating in another heat wave early next week.  Friday looks nearly perfect with abundant sunshine and low humidity.

Saturday will turn more humid as the day progresses with partly cloudy skies. There is a slight chance for a shower late in the day from an approaching cold front. But most of the state will stay dry so feel free to make your outdoor plans.

Some towns could approach 90 Saturday. But 90s are more likely Sunday through Tuesday of next week.

 Tonight: Clearing. Great viewing conditions for the Perseid meteor shower. Low: 57-63.

Tomorrow: Patchy morning fog. Mostly sunny, warmer. Low humidity. High: 83-87 inland, 80-85 shore.

Saturday: Partly cloudy. Chance for an isolated afternoon shower or thunderstorm. Becoming more humid as the day progresses. High: 85-90 inland, 82-86 shoreline.

Sunday: Patchy morning fog. Mostly sunny, hot and humid. High: 85-92.

Monday: Hazy, hot and humid. High: 90-95.

Tuesday: Partly cloudy, hot and humid. Chance for an afternoon shower or thunderstorm. High: 86-82.

Perseids Peak Tonight!

Pic taken in CT in 2010 by my friend Al Chaniewski 

The Perseid meteor shower peaks early Thursday morning and you can watch it right here in Connecticut. All you have to do is look up!!

This is a great year for the annual display because the peak of the meteor shower coincides with an almost new moon (the opposite of a full moon).  That means less light pollution in the sky and more darkness to help find “shooting stars”. 

The Perseid meteor shower is really just debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle which has been orbiting the sun for centuries. As debris collides with the earth’s atmosphere at 140,000 mph, the debris heats up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat causes the long lived streaks you see in the sky. On a good night you can see one meteor a minute. 

Time: After midnight – before sunrise Thursday.

Where: Away from city lights. Although meteors will appear to originate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky, you can see them just by looking up!

How Many: 50-100 meteors an hour

Much Needed Rain On The Way!

Humidity rises through the evening tonight with periods of much needed rain on Tuesday. That rain will come down heavy at times with embedded thunderstorms possible too. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will last through the evening commute before tapering off.

We really do need the rain. Check out the levels of rivers and streams across the state. Most are running below normal or “much below normal”.

We’re also running a 3”-4” rainfall deficit when you look at the last 30 days.

1”-2” of rain is possible for most of the state with some locally higher/lower amounts.

 That’s not enough for flash flooding for a majority of the state (which as you can see from the graphic below would need to be more than 3.5” over a 3 hour period).  That threshold is lower in southern Fairfield County where you will find the only Flash Flood Watch in the state right now.

That being said, flooding is still possible for poor drainage areas/low lying areas if the ground doesn't absorb incoming rain fast enough in some spots. 

It turns less humid on Wednesday with the chance for a pop up afternoon shower or thunderstorm.  Thursday looks awesome. The humidity drops even further with lots of sun.  There is a chance for afternoon showers or thunderstorms looking ahead to Saturday.

Tonight: Increasing clouds, chance for a shower or two late. Low: 65-70.

Tomorrow: Periods of rain, some heavy. Humid. Chance for an embedded thunderstorm with poor drainage flooding possible in spots. High: 73-77.

Wednesday: A mix of sun and clouds, less humid. Chance for an isolated afternoon shower or thunderstorm. But most towns will stay dry. High: 80-84.

Thursday: Sunny, dry, low humidity. High: 78-82.

Friday: Partly cloudy, warmer. High: 83-87.

Saturday: Partly cloudy, warm. Chance for a few showers or thunderstorms in the afternoon. High: 83-87.

Mom Frank made a cameo on the News at 4 Tonight!

My mom made a cameo on the News at 4 today. Jenn and Lorenzo did a story on how high waisted jeans are back in style. The script said something about "raiding your Mom's closet" and my Mom just so happened to be visiting me in the studio. About 3 mins prior I ran into the control room and surprised her! Check it out!

Part 1: Before my weathercast

Part 2: After my weathercast

Dry, Pleasant Weekend

A big offshore storm will miss us this weekend. That’s good news with only 4 precious summer weekends left (but who is counting). Both days will feature low humidity with partly to mostly sunny skies. If I had to get picky Saturday will feature a bit more sun and slightly milder temperatures than Sunday (by a degree or two). For those of you who want rain for the lawn or garden, Tuesday looks promising. Humidity returns too with scattered showers and a period of heavy rain possible.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low: 55-65.

Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, low humidity. High: 82-85.

Sunday: Partly cloudy, pleasant. High: 80-85.

Monday: Increasing clouds. High: 80-85.

Tuesday: Cloudy and humid with showers or periods of rain. Rain could be heavy later in the day or at night. High: 73-78.

Wednesday: Clouds break for sunshine, turning less humid. High: 80-83.

Farewell 90s! For Now At Least...

After 8 days of summer heat (and humidity at times), cooler air is on the way.  No more 90s! Wednesday will start off with bright sunshine. But clouds will bubble up throughout the afternoon as a weak cold front moves through. There is a chance for an isolated shower or thunderstorm. But a vast majority of the state will stay dry. Thursday looks gorgeous with lots of sunshine and low humidity. We’re still watching the chance for rain Friday or Saturday. But the storm could miss to the south.

Tonight: Chance for an early shower or storm in spots. Low: 60-67.  

       

Tomorrow: Sunshine mixing with some afternoon clouds. Less humid and not as warm as recent days. High: 82-86.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, cooler. High: 78-83.

Friday: A mix of clouds and sun. Still watching a storm to our south which could bring some rain if it gets any closer. High: 75-80.

Saturday: Partly sunny. Watching a storm to our south that could bring showers if it gets any closer. High: 75-80.

Sunday: Partly cloudy with increasing clouds late. High: 75-80.

Storms Break The Heat

This warm/hot stretch of summer weather is almost over! Tuesday will be the last day with near 90 degree heat before temperatures tumble.

The change in the weather will arrive in the wake of a cold front that could trigger some thunderstorms.  There are two chances for storms on Tuesday. One early in the morning (before/around daybreak) and another in the mid-afternoon.  Both rounds of thunderstorms will be hit or miss. But anything that develops could be strong to severe. Gusty/damaging winds are the biggest threats.

Wednesday and Thursday look good with cooler temperatures and less humidity than recent days. But wet weather returns Friday and Saturday with showers or even a period of steady heavier rainfall.  We’ll be tracking the timing closely as we know our summer weekends in New England are oh, so precious!

Tonight: Increasingly humid. Patchy fog. Chance thunderstorm in spots. Low: 67-73.

Tomorrow: Chance for an early morning thunderstorm in spots. Otherwise, partly cloudy, very warm. Another chance for a hit or miss thunderstorm in the afternoon. High: 85-90.

Wednesday: Sunny to partly cloudy. Slight chance for an afternoon shower. Cooler and less humid than recent days. High: 80-85.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, increasing clouds late. High: 75-80.

Friday: Increasing clouds with showers or areas of rain developing. High: 72-76.

Saturday: Cloudy and cooler with periods of rain. High: 73-78.