Berkshire County Forecast-Wednesday,December 5

The following forecast is provided by Noah Parsons, in conjunction with the  instructor, as part of lab work for the Introduction to Meteorology course:

Summary: Surface high pressure will build in from the northwest as the cold front responsible for the period of rain last night pushes off to the east. With surface high pressure cresting over the area on Thursday, the large-scale descent and stability associated with this system will give us a mostly sunny and seasonably cold day. However, since the jet stream remains zonally oriented (flat, west to east), this fair weather will not last long as weather systems continue to move rapidly from west to east. Therefore, clouds will increase Thursday night and Friday and showers are a good bet by day’s end on Friday as the next disturbance along the jet stream moves in.

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy with a chance of a few scattered snow flurries this evening, then clearing skies late this evening. Mostly clear after midnight.

Overnight temperatures will be colder than they were with the previous weather system, falling to near 20 in most locations, with mid to upper teens likely over the elevated terrain and hilltowns.

Winds will blow from the west-northwest at 10-20mph this evening (with the hill towns experiencing the strongest winds), but will diminish as the night passes to 5-10 mph by daybreak Thursday morning.

Thursday

Mostly sunny and seasonably cold.

High temperatures in the upper 30s in Pittsfield, near 40 in Adams, North Adams and Williamstown, low 40s in Great Barrington and Sheffield, and low to mid 30s in the elevated terrain and hilltowns, depending on elevation.

Northwest winds at 5-10 mph in the morning will become light and variable in the afternoon.

Thursday Night

Clear in the evening, then increasing clouds after midnight.

Temperatures will fall to the low to mid 20s.

Light (less than 5 mph) southerly winds.

Friday

Mostly cloudy early, then becoming overcast late morning. Scattered, light rain showers are likely during the afternoon. Probability of precipitation 60%. Rainfall totals will likely be only 0.10 inches or less.

High temperatures in the upper 30s in Pittsfield, near 40 in Adams, North Adams and Williamstown, low 40s in Great Barrington and Sheffield, mid 30s in the elevated terrain and hilltowns.

Winds from the south-southwest at 5-10 mph.