EAST HARDWICK – The persistent rainfall has made it challenging to plan any outdoor activities that require things to be dry. Not every day during the previous forecast period was a washout, but the sporadic nature of showers meant that even with some appearances of the sun, a premonition existed of rainfall quickly returning.
photo by Dawn Gustafson
Total rainfall for the forecast period amounted to 2.42 inches, and our forecast area has now seen nine days in a row with measurable precipitation. The extra cloud cover and influence of an upper-level kept high temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s, when temperatures are supposed to peak in the mid-70s as we reach the summer solstice.
Thursday turned into an active weather day, with widespread torrential downpours persisting during the daylight hours. A few stronger thunderstorms were mixed in. No major flooding occurred locally with this event. The entire region was under a rare tornado watch on Thursday, and the National Weather Service confirmed two EF1 tornadoes touched down in central and southern Vermont. One tornado briefly affected the town of Lincoln. The other left a damage path over a mile long in the Woodstock-Bridgewater area.
An area of high pressure briefly changes the outlook today, as more sun than clouds is featured, before an approaching low-pressure system from the Great Lakes begins to obscure the sunshine tomorrow. This will also bring in steady precipitation for the overnight hours into Friday. Temperatures during this time will be close to seasonal normals, with highs in the mid-70s and lows in the 50s.
Looking ahead to the weekend, a stronger area of high pressure builds into the northeast with decreasing clouds for Saturday and only isolated mountain showers. Sunday appears to be dry with mostly sunny and warming conditions. No 80-degree days are in this week’s forecast, though. Here are those details day-by-day:
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. High: 74. Low: 55. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Partly cloudy, becoming mostly cloudy. Rain likely by evening. High: 76. Low: 57. Calm wind.
Friday: Cloudy. Showers and a chance of thunderstorms. High: 75. Low: 54. South wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Partly cloudy. Isolated mountain showers in the afternoon. High: 75. Low: 54. Calm wind.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High: 78. Low: 55. Calm wind.
