The Memorial Day weekend is finally upon us!  Whoohoo!  And much like your family BBQ, this weekend’s weather will feature a variety of offerings that will sizzle, satisfy.. and, possibly at times, soak your way into the summer season.

Today will be similar to the last few days… low clouds, fog this morning, even a spotty shower… then some breaks of sun developing inland for this afternoon.

More fog is expected tonight into dawn tomorrow, but it should thin out by 9am for most areas.  The temperatures will soar ahead of an approaching cold front on Saturday.  Inland areas are expected to climb into the mid to upper 80s with just a touch of humidity.  At the beaches–it’s a banner day!!–mostly sunny and warm afternoon temperatures 75-80.  By far, Saturday is the pick of the weekend.

Saturday 3pm Temperature Futurecast

The first full lighting of the Waterfire Season should feature some spectacular weather… warm and dry with increasing clouds through the evening and night.

Waterfire Futurecast

The forecast is a little trickier for Sunday and Monday.  The same cold front that will approach on Saturday will wobble over New England on Sunday and Monday.  The front will act as a focus for some scattered showers and thunderstorms.  Most of them should be diurnally driven…. meaning popping up in the  late afternoon and early evening as we reach the maximun heating for the day.  If that’s the case, it would just be a brief interruption in your day from a passing storm.  Because of the extra clouds, wind shifts and position of the cold front the temperatures will be cooler than Saturday.

Weekend Futurecast

The wrinkle in the forecast is a potential mesoscale convective system (MCS)… hinted at by a few computer models.  An MCS is a large cluster of thunderstorms and rain.  If an MCS rides along the front then the “brief interruption” from a passing thunderstorm could become a several hours long washout.  I’m not ready to cancel any of my outdoor plans–but it is something I’ll be watching closely for Sunday into Monday.