Summary: The weather scenario has not changed much since yesterday. A surface high pressure system is building into the region behind last night’s cold front passage. This has resulted in clearing skies this afternoon. It will become clear and calm, ideal for radiational cooling as high pressure crests over the region tonight. Wednesday and Thursday we will receive warmer south-southwesterly flow around the back side of the high as it moves off the Atlantic Coast. Therefore, it will become much milder than today. It will be generally fair both days although predominantly high clouds will filter the sun (angle dropping as we move through autumn) somewhat. An upper-level trough (southward dip in the wave pattern of the jet stream) will dive south into the Midwest over the next few days and its eastern edge will approach our region as a cold front on Thursday Night. As the front edges through the region we will experience a bout of fairly significant rainfall sometime later Thursday Night into Friday. The amplification of the jet stream wave pattern will be fairly pronounced but, at this point, it does not appear to be amplified enough to cause the wave to break and the upper-level low (cold pool) to become “cut-off” from the jet. If that were to occur we could experience an extended period (several days) of unsettled weather and the weekend would end up relatively cool, cloudy and somewhat showery. Fortunately, it appears more likely that this trough will lift back to the northeast and out of the region relatively quickly and the weekend will end up fairly decent. More on this tomorrow…..

Tuesday Night

Clear and cold with winds lightening in the evening and becoming calm after midnight.

Low temperatures in the low 30s in most regions although it could reach the upper 20s in some of the colder valleys.

Northwest winds diminishing in the evening and becoming calm after midnight.

Wednesday

It will be mostly sunny in the morning. Skies should average out partly cloudy (25-50% cloud cover) during the afternoon. However, the majority of the clouds will be high clouds and therefore, we should see the sun for most of the afternoon although it will be filtered at times. It will be much milder than Tuesday.

High temperatures in the low 60s in Pittsfield and North Adams, mid 60s in Great Barrington and near 60 over elevated terrain and the hilltowns.

Winds light and variable in the morning, becoming south-southwest at 5-10 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night

Some high clouds, otherwise, mostly clear. Not as cold as Tuesday Night.

Low temperatures near 40.

Calm winds.

Thursday

Mostly sunny for most of the day with an increase in clouds late. Unseasonably mild.

High temperatures will likely reach the mid 60s in Pittsfield and North Adams, there may be some upper 60s in South County. Highs will be in the lower 60s in the usually cooler elevated terrain.

South-southeasterly winds at 8-12 mph.