Today marks the arrival of cooler air across New England, a noticeable shift from yesterday’s record warmth. Fire concerns remain elevated due to continued gusty breezes and dry air. Weekend weather will be classic fall, with crisp, seasonable air holding highs in the 50s across most areas, 40s in the far north. Danielle shares more in 1°Outside Today & read on for the National and Northeast weather summaries.
Today, a complex mix of tropical moisture, active fronts, and early winter conditions will shape U.S. weather. Tropical moisture associated with Hurricane Rafael, moving westward in the Gulf of Mexico, is enhancing rainfall across parts of the Southeast, with locally heavy rain expected from central Georgia into South Carolina. Rafael is forecast to track southwest of the central Gulf Coast, keeping impacts offshore, although moisture convergence will likely lead to additional rainfall across the lower Southeast into the weekend.
In the West, a potent winter storm is taking shape in the Southern Rockies, bringing heavy snow to the region. The slow-moving upper low will support snowfall of up to two feet across parts of Colorado and New Mexico, particularly in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, while high winds and cold temperatures increase the wildfire threat across California and the southwestern U.S. Cold air will expand eastward from the Rockies, spreading below-average temperatures from the Great Basin to the Central Plains by late week. Meanwhile, the eastern U.S. continues to experience unseasonably warm conditions, with record highs possible across parts of the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England before cooler temperatures arrive behind a weak cold front later on Thursday.
For the Northeast, the passage of a weak cold front moving from the St. Lawrence Valley through New England, will bring isolated showers to higher terrain in northern New York and Vermont during the morning, before skies clear across the region. Temperatures will remain above seasonal averages, with highs in the mid-60s to low-70s across southern New England, while cooler air moves in from the northwest, resulting in highs in the mid-50s to low-60s in northern areas.
Behind the front, northwesterly winds will pick up during the day, gusting to 20-25 mph across coastal and inland New England and bringing drier air with them. This drying trend will elevate fire weather risks, especially across areas where the vegetation remains dry. By tonight, temperatures will drop significantly under clear skies and decreasing winds, with lows reaching into the 40s in metro areas and mid-30s across rural and interior parts of New England, particularly in northern New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.
Looking ahead, Friday will bring another dry but cooler day to the region, with high pressure briefly building in behind the front, resulting in seasonable conditions with highs in the upper 40s to mid-50s. A secondary cold front crossing northern New England Friday evening will reinforce the cooling trend. As the weekend progresses, high pressure will take hold, keeping conditions dry and temperatures cool, with rain likely to return late Sunday into Monday as a developing low-pressure system advances from the Great Lakes. This incoming system could bring much-needed rainfall to the Northeast, especially across western New York and parts of New England by early next week.
