The thing about a strong high pressure this time of year is that whatever heating occurs during the day is quickly gone at night. Most folks will be waking up to a chilly Thursday morning and mostly or completely clear skies.
Greater Boston will likely see temperatures in the mid- to upper 40s, making it the coldest journey into work or school, so make sure you dress warmly. A few folks across Northern New England and Western Massachusetts may end up teetering near the freezing mark, especially with folks in higher elevations across the Berkshires and Northern Mountains. Frost advisories are in place for those areas Thursday morning.
The afternoon will feature mostly sunny skies with a couple of more clouds south of Boston. Highs will reach the low 60s for most of the region.
Boston skies, and really all of New England, will remain mostly clear Thursday night, allowing for temperatures to dip into the 40s near the city and colder north and west.
The setup — high pressure dominates, cool temps remain
A strong pocket of high pressure will settle nearly directly above New England on Thursday. Like I said in Tuesday’s forecast, this air mass originated from northern Canada and has descended south, holding very dry, chilled air.
For one more day, this air mass will make October feel like, well, fall. There may be a few stray clouds on the Cape and south of Providence, but most of the day will be spent under mostly to completely bright skies. Highs will remain cool after a chilly start, with the afternoon likely reaching the low to mid-60s across Greater Boston and most of Southern New England.
Winds relax on Thursday as the tropical systems —Hurricane Imelda and the remnants of Humberto — pull farther away from New England and the core of the high pressure settles overhead. Still, there will be a slight breeze, much improved from the gusty day prior.
Look-ahead: Could we see a ‘second summer’ this weekend?
After highs stall out in the low to mid-60s on Thursday, Friday through at least the start of next week paints a different weather story. The strong high-pressure slides south of New England on Thursday and begins to pump a south-southwesterly flow into the region, warming temperatures to the 80s by the weekend.
With the switch to a southwesterly flow, we’ll see the dew points begin to creep up over the next seven days, but the air will still feel comfortable.
And if you’re wondering about our next chance of much-needed rain, we’re going to remain stuck in this dry pattern through at least the start of next week. I’ll keep an eye on the risk for fire weather as I imagine most of New England will rise to a moderate risk over the next few days.
Greater Boston: Mostly sunny with highs reaching the low 60s. Some spots along the North and South Shore in the upper 50s. Winds around 10 mph.
Southeastern Mass.: Seeing partly to mostly sunny skies. Highs reaching the upper 50s and low 60s. Winds around 10 mph.
Central/Western Mass.: Seeing mostly sunny skies with highs ranging from the low to mid-60s from Worcester to the Berkshires. Patchy morning fog and frost are likely in the Berkshires.
Cape and Islands: Seeing partly sunny skies turn brighter as the day goes on. Highs in the upper 50s and low 60s with winds between 10 and 15 mph.
Rhode Island: Seeing mostly sunny skies after a few extra morning clouds. Highs to the upper 50s and low 60s. Winds around 10 mph.
New Hampshire: Sunny skies with a cold start. Highs reach the upper 50s and low 60s. Winds 10 mph or less.
Vermont/Maine: Mostly sunny with highs reaching the upper 50s to low 60s across both states. Some patchy morning fog that lifts pretty early. Winds below 10 mph.
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Ken Mahan can be reached at ken.mahan@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @kenmahantheweatherman.
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