A cold front pushed through the region late yesterday, delivering just three-hundredths of an inch of rain, but paving the way for dry air today through the weekend. Thus far this month, we've received exactly three quarters of an inch of rain, which is well below the 1.82" normal. There have been only two days with measured rain this month. However, for the year, over four feet (51.73") of liquid precipitation has fallen, more than a foot above the 37.84" normal.
A closer look at our weather record book reveals that our weekend good fortune extends to the beginning of September. In fact, three of the four weekends that month were dry, and just one-hundredth of an inch of rain fell during the last weekend of the month. That means eight of the last 11 weekends --- or 73 percent --- have been dry. That's a pretty good average.
On the flip side, August weekends were anything but dry. Believe it or not, seven-and-a-half inches of rain fell just on the weekends that month, punctuated by Tropical Storm Irene's deluge, which produced 3.35" of rain on August 27 and 28. Every weekend in August was wet, including the weekend of August 13 and 14 when 2.75" of rain fell in southwestern Connecticut.
This weekend will be ideal for any outdoor activities you may have planned. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny and milder with a high temperature in the lower 50s. Sunday will be partly sunny and warmer with a high in the upper 50s to close to 60 degrees. Some showers are expected by the middle of next week, but we are closely watching the potential for a coastal storm by Thanksgiving. For now, though, let's enjoy the beautiful New England Autumn weather.
Paul
