Amazing Afternoon Will Give Way to Overnight Rain

It's amazing how nice 50 F feels after a snowstorm and a few days near 0. I hope you were able to get outside around lunchtime to briefly enjoy the beautiful weather we had late morning/early afternoon.  As of 2 PM it is 55 in Boston which is the average high on April 14!  The past few years Boston has reached 50 multiple times in January so this isn't super out of the ordinary.  It happened 5 times each in 2013 and 2014, 3 times in 2015 and 4 times in 2016.  This is the first occurrence in 2017.  Clouds are back on the increase and rain arrives again around 10 PM.

General Overview

Here are the 1 PM temps from some of the regional air ports.  A wind directly off the ocean is keeping the Cape and Islands down and Worcester is at 1000 ft in elevation so temperatures there are not representative of the city at large.  Privately owned weather stations show plenty of 50 degree readings on the east side of the city.

Influences well to our west will bring some moisture to the region overnight.  As you may have guessed it will be all rain given the temps.  Here is the visible satellite loop for the Eastern US early this afternoon.  You can see last night's rain moving offshore and also clouds streaming through PA/NY/NJ into Southern New England.

NOAA GOES_East visible satellite Wed AM-early PM (image NOAA/NCEP/NWS)

Temperatures may drop into the low 40's before the rain arrives but as it does temperature will surge back to near 50.  Rain arrives after 10 PM and is pretty much done by 5 AM.  A few showers are possible tomorrow morning before the action retreats to upstate NY and Northern New England.  

18z HRRR Simulated Radar Thursday 12 AM (image Weatherbell)

The reason for this is a slow moving cold front that is more or less stalled across the Central US.  Temperatures will once again jump into the 50's. We can expect less sun than today and we can also except some fog in the AM where snow remains.  This boundary will more or less fall apart as it crosses New England so I expect only a few showers later Thursday afternoon into early evening as high pressure kicks the front offshore.  

WPC Surface Fronts/Precipitation Thursday 1 PM 

A return to winter for this weekend.

-Zack Green