EAST HARDWICK – Zero. That’s the report across most local rain gauges through the last week as we remained primarily under the control of high pressure, with steadily moderating conditions going into the weekend. We topped out Monday with high temperatures of 84 in St. Johnsbury and Plainfield, with 83 degrees reported in Morrisville. Light haze developed with the increased humidity and mix of some wildfire smoke.
A halo appeared around the sun Tuesday morning in East Hardwick, as high clouds moved north from a tropical low off the mid-Atlantic coast. The ice crystals from the currostratus clouds often focus light into a white or colorful arc. The sun will continue to be obscured by high clouds this week, but the layer is thin enough so it will not block out its light.
The prevailing conditions are due to a Rex block, which is a force field of sorts keeping inclement weather away from the northeast. It served to keep Hurricane Francine confined to the lower Mississippi Valley and has suppressed another low-pressure system with tropical moisture from traveling north. We are now on the other end of the precipitation spectrum, as tropical systems drove our excessive rainfall earlier in the summer.
This dry pattern looks to persist for most of the upcoming forecast period, with highs generally in the upper 70s to around 80. That upper-level ridge and associated surface high will bring sunshine the next few days filtered by high clouds from that low-pressure system to our south. That squeezes off the northeast coast on Friday, with a backdoor cold front dropping in with a chance for showers Friday afternoon into early Saturday. We’re left with a return to sunshine for the remainder of the weekend. Temperatures will trend cooler during this time. Astronomical fall begins on Sunday at 6:44 a.m. Here’s yet another fair-weather forecast for you, with the specifics:
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High: 81. Low: 54
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High: 79. Low: 53
Friday: Partly cloudy. Scattered showers in the afternoon. High: 74. Low: 52.
Saturday: Partly cloudy in the morning, with increasing sunshine in the afternoon. High: 70. Low: 46.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High: 68. Low: 44.
Tyler is our weather reporter and a community journalist. He works as a nurse and EMT, volunteers with Hardwick Rescue and helps to train new EMTs.
