Forecast: After A Seasonable Day, Warmer Weather On The Way

A storm system brought clouds and a raw feeling to the air yesterday and even some light rain south of Boston. However, the center of a coastal low remained out to sea and prevented New England from receiving any beneficial rains.

Last year, December was very wet with over 6 inches of rain. This year the pattern is very different and thus far these storms are missing us.

Today isn’t a perfect day, but there will be more sunshine than yesterday. The temperatures will be very typical for this time of year, mostly in the mid-40s. This is final day of the next five with temperatures seasonable. Temperatures Thursday move above the average mark and remain there for several days. The cold continues to be locked up to the west and this pattern looks to continue right up until and perhaps beyond Christmas.

This weekend the unseasonably mild air becomes almost warm. On Saturday, temperatures should easily reach the 50s, but it’s Sunday when things could get near record warmth. If we see enough sunshine, you could be looking at readings into the 60s and some spots in southern New England might reach 70 degrees. The best chance of that will be southwest Connecticut, but it’s not impossible in some of the western suburbs of Boston either.

The map below from the National Weather Service shows the odds of this warm weather continuing through Dec. 23 to be very high. When you see such a high probability of a warm period, it generally happens. Winter will arrive, but the warmth of El Niño in the Pacific is just putting too much pressure on the atmosphere right now.

You can follow David’s weather updates on Twitter at @growingwisdom.

Today: Sun and clouds give way to thicker late day clouds. Highs in the 40s.

Tonight: A slight chance of drizzle or light rain after midnight. Mild lows around 40.

Thursday: Partly sunny and mild. Highs in the 50s.

Friday: Partly sunny and mild. Highs in the mid-50s.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60, mid-60s possible.