A healthy dose of rain Saturday night into early Sunday brought welcome moisture to much of New England. As of Monday, rainfall is about average for May.
Our rainfall since mid-March has come in bursts rather than evenly spread.
In New England, there’s not much that is average, but the gap between when it rains and when it doesn’t has been a little longer than usual this spring. Since we haven’t had a lot of heat yet, several dry spells have not turned into a drought.
Over the next week, I’m not expecting much in the way of rain. It doesn’t look like we’ll see a lot of significantly above-average temperatures in New England, either.
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Today and Tuesday, you may notice the sky is hazy. Again, the forest fires continue out across Western Canada. And, again, the upper level pattern is such that we are seeing the smoke make it all the way here.
Any scent of smoke is likely more from localized brush fires, not the higher elevation stuff way up in the sky.
Air quality where we breath is also still good, albeit filled with pollen.
These fires are not atypical for this time of year, but drier than average weather has exacerbated them. Additionally, the flow of air at the upper levels has brought the smoke into the northeast for several weeks.
Other than smoke, we will see a lot of sunshine the next couple days. It will be average or even a little cooler than average along the coastline, with the wind coming in from the east or northeast.
Water temperatures are still relatively chilly, and wind from that direction keeps the natural air conditioning going. Ahead of a frontal system on Wednesday, temperatures will get warmer, rising into the 70s.
There might be a little shower or a sprinkle at night Wednesday. The map below shows an area of precipitation in green over parts of New England, but it will be decreasing — not increasing — in coverage as it heads for the coastline.
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It’s a little bit cooler Thursday, but it should be dry. Thereafter, temperatures look at or above average into early June, with rainfall at a premium.
