EAST HARDWICK – Some heavy rain at the beginning of the forecast period last week brought us ahead of to-date monthly rainfall averages. 1.74 inches of new rain fell between Tuesday, May 5, and Monday, May 11, bringing the monthly total to 1.98 inches, which is 146% of normal as of May 11.
photo by Dawn Gustafson
Most of that rain fell with Tuesday afternoon’s thunderstorms, which also brought some localized wind damage. Wednesday’s steady rainfall also contributed significantly to the accumulation. A total of 1.48 inches of rain was recorded between the two days.
The remainder of last week featured intermittent showers and breaks of sun, with Thursday being the day featuring the most sunshine. An upper-level disturbance and another low off the southern New England coast meant that showers were not too far away at any point from Friday through Sunday. Conditions briefly warmed to the 60s and quickly dropped to the 20s and 30s Sunday and Monday night. Frost developed in several areas as a result.
A clipper system will approach from the west on Wednesday morning. This is associated with an upper-level trough that closes off as it reaches the northeast. This will funnel moisture up the Atlantic coast into Thursday, bringing a steady rain with up to an inch of rainfall. Conditions will also be about 10-15 degrees below normal under the influence of the disturbance. Showers continue intermittently as the low exits on Friday, making way for a weak ridge for the weekend.
Clearing skies and moderating temperatures are expected for Saturday. Some clouds mix in for Sunday with an isolated shower possible, otherwise the weekend will be quite pleasant with temperatures near normal. Here are the forecast details:
Wednesday: Cloudy. Rain. High: 52. Low: 39. Calm wind.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy. Rain in the morning, then scattered showers in the afternoon. High: 56. Low: 43. South wind 5-10 mph.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, becoming partly sunny. Scattered showers. High: 60. Low: 43. East wind around 5 mph, becoming north.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High: 66. Low: 44. Calm wind.
Sunday: Partly sunny with an isolated shower possible in the morning. High: 68. Low: 44. Calm wind.
