A cold front that has overtaken metro Boston today, ushering in scattered showers, will also pull in a surge of cold arctic air that’s prompted freeze warnings throughout Southern New England.
The storm system should remain mostly weak as it progresses through Boston, although the storm may still deliver a couple rounds of light showers across the area that last through the afternoon. There will be enough energy in place for a final round of afternoon storms to move through with flashes of lightning and thunder before the front finally clears the city and folks head home for the day.
A healthy southerly flow of air will help bring daily highs back to around 60 degrees but with a noticeable breeze of 10 to 15 miles per hour. Winds will quickly shift from the south to the northwest and then pick up to 15 to 20 miles per hour as temperatures start to drop.
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Freeze warnings
Tonight will be quite chilly, perhaps setting up the coldest night of the month for Boston, with overnight lows near the freezing mark. West of Boston will see overnight lows dip into the 20s.
The National Weather Service has issued freeze warnings that are in place tonight until 8 a.m. Thursday for Boston, southeastern Mass., Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut with sub-freezing temperatures reaching as low as 27 degrees in some areas.
The atmosphere will be cold enough in Northern New England where, believe it or not, snow may fall after a burst of cold rain, especially for folks living in the higher elevations. More on Northern New England below.
A stronger high-pressure system will slide into the region in a hurry, clearing out skies while introducing a hefty northwesterly wind.
This air mass will set up camp Thursday and Friday, reintroducing sunny skies across Boston and beyond. The end of the work week looks beautiful, but temperatures will be slow to crawl back to seasonable norms.
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Wednesday breakdown
Southern New England: Mostly cloudy skies will be in place for much of the day with scattered showers around sunrise and lasting through midday. Temperatures will reach the upper 50s and low 60s for inland communities, including Worcester, Providence, Hartford, and Springfield. Winds will stay mostly around 10 miles per hour or less and but will shift from the south to the northwest in the early afternoon. Cloud cover will begin to break apart mid-afternoon and set up a partly cloudy sunset. Temperatures, however, will fall to 28 to 32 degrees before Thursday’s sunrise.
Western Mass.: Cloudy skies and scattered light showers will spread through the Berkshires pre-dawn and should taper off by late morning. Temperatures will struggle to get to 50 degrees west of Springfield. Pittsfield, Greenfield, and North Adams may ultimately stall in the upper 40s as the cold air will combat daytime heating. The good news is that sunshine returns earlier in the day, setting up partly cloudy skies by early afternoon. Winds will be slightly elevated throughout the day across the hill towns, registering between 10 and 15 miles per hour and the Berkshires can expect to see the coldest overnight temps across Southern New England — falling to 25 to 30 degrees into daybreak.
Cape and Islands: Partly cloudy skies are expected early this morning but it should be short-lived as scattered showers and cloud cover arrive by late morning. Precipitation will remain light and most of the showers will pass by mid-afternoon. Today’s highs will remain cooler and settle in the mid-50s. Wind speed will be slightly elevated to 10 to 15 miles per hour into the afternoon after starting the day at about 5 miles per hour. Cold overnight air will settle and drag temperatures down into the mid-30s, but should remain above the freezing mark.
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Northern New England: The leading edge of the front will already be in place, bringing scattered showers across Vermont early this morning. New Hampshire can expect to see showers closer to mid-morning, while Maine will see precipitation late morning and lasting through the afternoon. Daytime highs will range between the low and upper 40s depending on elevation. Coastal Maine is likely to reach the low 50s. And with the center of the low in southern Canada, colder air will start mixing in earlier in the day, introducing the potential for backside snow showers across the extreme northern tier of New England. Any snow showers will be short-lived but can accumulate with decreasing temperatures into the 30s beginning midday. Any accumulation should stay around an inch or less for the higher elevations. As the cold air settles in overnight, lows will reach the mid-20s. Mt. Washington is likely to see temperatures drop to 5 degrees.
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Ken Mahan can be reached at ken.mahan@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @kenmahantheweatherman.