Touches of Autumn on a Cloudy Day

Maple leaves, 9/27/2013 (Amherst MA)
Photo by S. Vardatira

There is a running debate in our household about whether fall foliage colors appear more or less vibrant on cloudy days - and by extension when to plan our day-long excursions in search of "peak." I just happen to be a strong proponent of the stunningly-better-colors-on-cloudy-days camp (I am nothing if not decisive on this point), though I will concede that sunny days have a whole different kind of beauty to them even if the foliage colors can tend to wash out in the glare of the sun. Of course, we are no where near peak yet, but splashes of red, yellow, and orange are all around us. It was an overcast day today, just perfect for capturing those brilliant fall colors.

Puffer's Pond, North Beach, 9/27/2013 (Amherst MA)
Photo by S. Vardatira

Cushman Brook, Puffer's Pond Recreation Area, 9/27/2013 (Amherst, MA)
Photo by S. Vardatira

New England's Season

Photo by S. Vardatira, October 2010 (Hadley MA)

Happy Autumn, everyone! This is the season for New Englanders, no doubt about it. From harvest festivals, to fall foliage, to apple picking and pumpkin carving, to frosty nights, and spectacular, ever-changing clouds rolling across the sky, it doesn't get much better than this. People come from all over the world to experience fall in New England, and we are right here. Enjoy . . .

And what will today bring?

Sunset cruise on the Connecticut River near Northampton, 9/11/2013
(before the thunderstorms moved in)

You know the weather is weird when the Amherst-Pelham schools close for the day due to the high humidity causing "slippery floors." It's mid-morning, thunder is rumbling, the trees are just starting to change color around the area, and yesterday the temperature got up to the high 90s.  In our house, the rooms with air conditioning are completely fogged up. Not exactly what you'd expect for New England weather in September.

The situation improves by later today and tomorrow, but first our region will be getting isolated to scattered strong to severe thunderstorms from late Thursday afternoon into Friday morning. Yesterday brought thunderstorms to parts of Amherst and portions of Western Massachusetts and Southwest New Hampshire, with the bulk of heavier action back into Eastern New York, Vermont, North-Central New Hampshire and Maine. While conditions were unstable in the region, most of the triggering mechanisms stayed north and west of our area. Below is the local storm report (showing where trees, power line, etc. came down) from yesterday's severe weather event:

NWS Taunton Local Storm Report:
http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KBOX/1309120259.nwus51.html

For later afternoon today into Friday morning, a strong cold front will bring an end to the short duration of heat we've been having. Temperatures across Southern New England today will be mostly in the 80s with a few areas possibly touching 90 degrees. Conditions won't be quite as unstable as yesterday but instability parameters will still be sufficient - coupled with strong wind shear values and a focus for convection between the cold front and pre-frontal trough - to set the stage for isolated to scattered strong to severe thunderstorms with strong to damaging winds, hail and urban/poor drainage flooding as the primary threats. The extent of the severe weather threat will be determined by the timing of the cold front and the amount of instability available as the cold front moves through the region. It's possible that the cold front will slow down as it moves across the area, which may extend the threat of thunderstorms into Friday morning for parts of Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.