Technical Discussion - KCTV5

Technical Discussion

Good Friday evening! 

Portions of Western Connecticut have received 4" of rain since the storm began yesterday.  As of late this afternoon, Bethel received 3.85".  Other storm totals include 1.59" in Wethersfield and 1.58" in Higganum.  The rain isn't over yet.  Unfortunately, we can expect more wet weather tonight and tomorrow. 

A cold front moved across the state this afternoon and now it is turning sharply cooler.  Temperatures will dip into the 40s across much of the state tonight.  Now for the bad news!  Temperatures may not rise out of the 40s tomorrow!  We could actually come very close to breaking a temperature record tomorrow.  The coldest high temperature ever measured at Bradley International Airport on May 25^th is 48 degrees and that was set in 1967.  This is what we refer to as a record low maximum.  

We can blame a developing coastal storm for the dismal start to our holiday weekend and what is supposed to be the unofficial start to the summer season.  The storm will strengthen off the coast of New England tonight and tomorrow.  That means we can expect periods of rain through tomorrow and beyond.  In fact, wet snow could mix with the rain over the higher elevations of Western Connecticut and the Berkshires!  Northerly winds will get stronger tomorrow as well and we'll likely see gusts to between 30 and 40 mph during the afternoon.  The combination of cold temperatures, gusty winds, and rain will make for a rather unpleasant day outdoors! 

Showers may linger into Sunday morning, but weather conditions will gradually improve during the afternoon as the coastal storm slowly moves away to the north.  We should see some partial clearing, but it will remain blustery and unseasonably cool with morning lows in the 30s and low 40s, and afternoon highs ranging from the upper 50s to the mid 60s. 

Memorial Day still looks very nice!  High pressure will finally come to our rescue.  That means we'll enjoy plenty of sunshine, lighter winds, and milder temperatures.  While it will be chilly to start out the day, temperatures will top the 70 degree mark during the afternoon.  It'll be a very nice day for a parade and a cookout! 

A warming trend will kick into gear next week.  Temperatures are expected to rise into the 80s to near 90 degrees by the end of the week.  A couple of showers and thunderstorms are possible on Wednesday with a warm front nearby, but much of the week will feature dry weather. 

The forecast from NOAA for the upcoming hurricane season came out yesterday and they are expecting a very active season.  Officially, the hurricane season begins and June 1^st and it ends on November 30^th.  NOAA is forecasting 13-20 named storms.  A normal season sees 12 named storms.  They are expecting 7 to 11 hurricanes.  A normal season sees 6 hurricanes.  Of those 7 to 11 hurricanes, 3 to 6 of them are expected to become major hurricanes of category 3 intensity or greater.  A normal season sees 3 major hurricanes.

Have a safe and wonderful holiday weekend!

Chief Meteorologist Bruce DePrest