Spring is back; 70s on Tuesday
Spring is back this week after New England got a brief blast of mid-April winter.
Forecasters are predicting a more seasonable week ahead, as Tuesday looks like the “pick of the week” with some spots seeing temps in the 70s, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kristie Smith.
“It should definitely be a good day to enjoy the outside if you have the chance,” said Smith, who’s based in NWS Boston’s Norton office. “It should be pretty dry and sunny — a really nice day.”
The return to spring comes after Friday’s wintry mix. Some areas of Massachusetts got close to a foot of snow.
After a dreary Saturday, it was a brighter Sunday as milder temps in the upper 50s returned. The slow- moving, low-pressure storm system hanging off the coast finally started to pull east, leading to warmer temps.
The warming trend will continue through midweek. It will be milder today in the 60s for most areas, with perhaps a brief round of scattered showers during the mid-afternoon into the early evening hours.
“It’s not expected to be a significant rain event,” Smith said.
Then after Tuesday’s beautiful weather day, a cold front brings the next chance for more widespread rain around Wednesday.
“That will be our best shot for more significant precipitation,” she said.
There could be some thunderstorms during the afternoon, and even some snow in Berkshire County Wednesday night into Thursday.
Temps will then cool down on Thursday, with highs in the 40s.
Moderate temps should return on Friday and Saturday in the 60s.
Massachusetts is facing drought conditions, so last week’s wintry mix helped make a dent in the precipitation deficit. Nearly 2 inches of precipitation was measured in Boston.
“Boston still has a deficit, but it’s not as extreme as a few days ago,” Smith said.
Boston’s 9.78 inches for the year is 3.43 inches below normal for this time of year.
“We had a dry March, which is one of the typically wetter months,” Smith said. “We’re now making some progress back towards normal.”