Warm & Windy Wednesday

Tonight: Increasing clouds. Low: 30s.

Wednesday: Cloudy but dry start with rain developing midday, some heavy at times. Becoming windy with the chance for thunder. High: Mid-upper 50s.

Thursday: Partly cloudy, breezy, mild one last day. High: Low 50s.

Friday: Slight chance for early flurries, especially in eastern/southeastern Connecticut. High: Upper 30s.

Saturday: Sunny, breezy. High: Upper 30s-Low 40s.

Sunday: Mostly sunny. High: Lower 40s

Forecast Discussion:

Wednesday will mark the beginning of the end of this warm stretch of weather. An approaching cold front will bring a soaking rain followed by a cooling trend.

The morning commute looks dry with showers developing around midday. The bulk of the rain will hold off until the afternoon and evening with some heavier downpours possible for the ride home. Winds will slowly ramp up too, coming out of the south with gusts up to 35 miles an hour. While it will be windy and wet we’re not expecting damaging winds or flooding.  Rain will continue after the sun sets but temperatures will continue to rise through around midnight-2am when a cold front crosses. Ahead of the front, temperatures will soar into the 50s to around 60 degrees! Also, don’t be surprised if you hear a rumble of thunder along the actual front Wednesday night.

Cooler air will lag behind the storm. Thursday remains mild with highs in the 50s. Then by Friday, February returns with highs in the upper 30s. There is a slight chance for a few flurries early Friday morning, especially in eastern and southeastern Connecticut.

On the Weather Watch…Early next week

While there is no arctic cold in sight, the weather pattern does start to get more interesting heading into next week. The moisture laden southern jet stream will become active, lifting a disturbance towards the Mid-Atlantic region. At the same time the northern branch jet will dip south in the form of a trof. How these two ingredients interact will determine if we can get a storm here in New England. A coastal storm with snow and gusty winds is possible next Tuesday. Since that is 6-7 days out, we have low confidence. It’s not time to worry yet. You can bet though we’ll be watching this threat in the days to come.