Weather for New England and the Northeast

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
Issued 717 AM EDT Tuesday, June 2, 2026

**What Has Changed**

No significant changes to the forecast.

**Key Messages**

* Quiet and dry stretch of weather today through the end of the work week.

* Potentially unsettled and cooler conditions this weekend into early next week.

**Synopsis**

High pressure at the surface and a strengthening ridge of high pressure in the middle levels of the atmosphere will bring a prolonged stretch of dry and increasingly warm weather through the end of the work week. A frontal boundary and nearby low pressure system may bring a return of showers this weekend into early next week, along with cooler temperatures.

**Discussion**

**Key Message 1, Quiet And Dry Stretch Of Weather Today Through The End Of The Work Week**

Confidence remains fairly high in a dry weather pattern through the work week as surface high pressure and mid-level ridging become established across the Northeast. Following a cool and damp weekend, warmer and drier conditions are returning to southern New England. Forecast expectations remain largely unchanged, with dry weather and a gradual warming trend expected through Friday.

Today, a mid-level trough and embedded shortwave disturbance continue moving east. Although atmospheric moisture is limited, a combination of modest lift in the middle levels of the atmosphere, colder air aloft, and a small amount of instability, measured as CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy), means a brief and isolated pop up shower cannot be completely ruled out. Most locations, however, will remain dry.

Clouds will likely develop during the afternoon as daytime heating causes the lower atmosphere, known as the boundary layer, to mix more deeply. Temperatures around 5,000 feet above the ground, known as 850 millibar temperatures, are near 46 degrees Fahrenheit. This should support afternoon highs in the lower to middle 70s.

From Wednesday through Friday, strengthening mid-level ridging and surface high pressure will dominate the weather pattern. Temperatures around 5,000 feet above the ground are expected to warm into the middle to upper 50s Fahrenheit by Thursday and Friday. These values alone would support highs in the lower to middle 80s.

In addition, west to northwest winds descending from the higher terrain of western Massachusetts will warm and dry as they move downhill, a process known as downsloping or compressional warming. This effect could push temperatures into the upper 80s and perhaps close to 90 degrees on Friday afternoon, especially across the Connecticut River Valley, where forecast probabilities exceed 75 percent.

**Key Message 2, Potentially Unsettled And Cooler Conditions This Weekend Into Early Next Week**

Forecast confidence decreases heading into the weekend as computer guidance shows some differences in the exact evolution of the weather pattern. The overall expectation remains that surface high pressure shifts offshore while heights in the middle levels of the atmosphere fall and cooler air moves into the region aloft.

There is still a possibility that much of Saturday remains dry. However, enough forecast signals exist to support at least a chance for scattered afternoon showers.

By Sunday, a low pressure system moving near a nearly stalled frontal boundary appears to provide a more favorable setup for showers. That front may linger into early next week, keeping at least some risk for additional showers across the region.

This pattern will be worth watching closely, as it continues a trend of cooler and wetter weekends across much of the Northeast. Temperatures should begin easing downward on Saturday, with the more noticeable cooling arriving Sunday and continuing into early next week.