Strange weather afoot - be prepared

Summer Storm over Hadley, MA (2012)
Photo by S. Vardatira

The storm system that is producing the threat of tornadoes today in the Great Lakes region will be reaching our area later tonight through Monday morning. Ahead and along that cold front, the potential exists for strong to possibly damaging winds with a squall line or fine line of convective showers and/or thunderstorms. Brief heavy downpours are possible as well. The extent of the threat is still being evaluated, but the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Taunton has placed portions of Southwest New Hampshire, Western and Central Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island in a "slight risk" for severe weather through 7 AM Monday morning and a 5% risk for severe weather through early afternoon Monday for the rest of Southern New England. The concern is that a fine line of convective showers and/or thunderstorms could bring stronger winds down to the surface.

Meanwhile, a major severe weather outbreak is expected today over portions of the Ohio Valley, Midwest and Great Lakes region starting late this morning and lasting through the evening and into Monday. Given the overnight-into-morning timing of the cold front reaching our area, the unusual time of year for a threat of convective showers and/or thunderstorms, and the uncertainty of how much of the strong winds aloft will reach the surface even in any convection, the confidence level on the impact of this event is lower than normal, but there will be the potential for isolated pockets of tree and wire damage. In other words, be prepared for some strange weather for this time of year.