Berkshire County Forecast-Friday, November 1

Note: Clicking on underlined red text provides links to various weather maps

SummaryWe will be on a bit of a roller coaster ride with our weather over the next week as the jet stream “waves” back and forth across the region. When it waves to the south of us, as it will be doing this weekend, it will become colder than average and as it waves back to our north it will become warmer than normal. This is fairly typical of this transitional time of year as the jet stream strengthens and, eventually, moves to our south for most of the winter.

During the day today a cold front separating warm, subtropical air from mild air passed through. As a result, Saturday will still be quite mild, with temperatures rising well into the 50s. There should also be a fair amount of sunshine early in the day. However, a second, stronger cold front, separating the mild air from cold, modified arctic air will move through Saturday evening so cloudiness should increase during the afternoon as the front approaches. Even though there will be considerable “lift” generated by this front, the air in advance of the front is too dry to produce more than some scattered showers as the front moves through late Saturday afternoon through the evening. The best chance for a shower is early evening. It should still be warm enough that most, if not all, of any shower activity will be rain. The cold frontal passage will usher in much colder air for Sunday and Monday. It should feel particularly cold on Sunday with temperatures holding in the 30s with blustery north-northwesterly winds.

Unfortunately, right now it looks like skies are likely to be fairly cloudy at sunrise on Sunday so it may be difficult to get a look at the partial solar eclipse.

A strong high pressure system will build in behind the front, giving us fair skies for the early part of the work week. As the high drifts to our east, the jet stream will drift to our north again and southerly winds at the surface will warm our temperatures back up to above normal for midweek. Another cold front will plow through late on Thursday or Thursday night with a period of rain, as the jet stream drifts back to our south, and colder than normal weather should return for the end of the week. However, once again, surface high pressure will build in and, after a transitional day on Friday, could give us fair skies through the Veteran’s Day weekend.

Friday Night

Mostly clear skies, turning cooler, with diminishing winds.

Low temperatures generally near 40 to the low 40s with some upper 30s over the elevated terrain.

West-southwesterly winds at 5-15 mph early this evening, becoming light northwesterly by midnight.

Saturday

Partly cloudy through the morning and into early afternoon. Increasing cloudiness as the afternoon progresses, with the chance of a rain shower late. Probability of precipitation 40% late in the day. Any showers should be relatively light, with rainfall totals 0.05″ or less.

High temperatures in the mid to upper 50s in Pittsfield, North Adams, Adams and Williamstown; upper 50s to near 60 in Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington and Sheffield and; low to mid 50s over the elevated terrain and hilltowns, depending on elevation.

Southwesterly winds at 5-10 mph.

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy. Scattered rain showers are likely early in the evening. Showers are still a possibility until midnight. Any rain showers cold end as light snow showers or flurries over the elevated terrain. Probability of precipitation 60% early with diminishing probability as the evening progresses. Shower activity should be light with likely rainfall totals .05″ or less. No snow accumulation expected. Becoming breezy and colder.

Low temperatures generally in the low 30s, upper 20s to near 30 over the elevated terrain.

Northwesterly winds at 5-10 mph in the evening, becoming north-northwesterly at 10-15 mph after midnight.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy early in the morning. This may make it difficult to visualize the partial solar eclipse at sunrise. Clouds will decrease over the course of the morning. Partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. It will be blustery and much colder.

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

North-northwesterly winds at 10-15 mph, up to 20 mph over the higher terrain, with gusts to 25-30 mph.