Autumn has finally arrived, and we will feel cooler temperatures through the weekend. More showers arrive on Tuesday.

Weather Forecast Discussion for Rhode Island on September 25, 2016

Thanks to the showers and light rain last night, we received another 0.30 inches of rainfall around Providence. However, we will continue with drier weather for the weekend. Cooler air coming down from Canada is giving Southern New England a feel of autumn at the moment. High temperatures across Rhode Island are only in the upper 60’s as of 2:30 p.m. We are under the influence of a high pressure ridge, with its axis to our west. For tonight, we will keep clear skies, with temperatures falling into the middle 40’s. So, you may need an extra blanket on the bed for this evening. We will keep sunny skies for Sunday, but high temperatures will be cooler, as the mercury only reaches the lower to middle 60’s. With the ridge axis directly over us Sunday night, we will see light winds and clear skies. Low temperatures in Providence will fall into the lower 40’s. The northwest part of the state may see lows fall to near freezing. At the moment, a Frost or Freeze advisory has not been activated.

We will keep sunny skies for Monday morning, with lowering clouds throughout the afternoon. The cloud cover will come ahead of a cold front that will be in the Mid-Atlantic. High temperatures will reach the upper 60’s. The front will bring showers and light rain by Monday night, especially after 1 a.m. Thanks to the cloudy skies, low temperatures will be milder, reaching the middle to upper 50’s. We will see steadier shower activity through Tuesday morning, as the front stalls right along New Bedford, MA. We will keep the risk for isolated showers into midnight, before the front finally moves offshore. High temperatures Tuesday will be in the lower 70’s, with lows in the middle 50’s.

A weak area of high pressure ridging will return sunshine to Rhode Island on Wednesday, keeping a developing area of low pressure off the coast of North Carolina. As of right now, the computer models believe this low will stay offshore, and away from Southern New England. The low moves north and east, but stays east of Cape Cod going into Thursday. I’ll keep an eye on this, and update you if needed in the next discussion. For now, the models all agree to keep it away, so I will call for sunny skies Thursday. High temperatures Wednesday and Thursday will be in the lower 70’s, with lows in the lower 50’s.

After the low moves into Nova Scotia on Friday, a new high pressure system will influence our weather right into the following weekend. Look for highs Friday and Saturday to be in the lower 70’s, with lows in the lower 50’s.

Tropical Update: There are two named systems out in the Atlantic at the moment. Tropical Storm Karl was located 125 miles east-northeast of Bermuda at 11 a.m. It has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, and is moving northeast at 18 mph. The system will rapidly move away from the east coast, as it moves along a frontal boundary. Eventually, the system will become a hurricane and become absorbed by another low pressure system within 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lisa is about 1130 miles northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Maximum sustained winds are at 40 mph, and is moving northwest at 10 mph. The system will be hit with vertical wind shear, and will eventually weaken into a remnant low. The system dissipates completely within 48 hours.

Finally, there is a tropical wave being watched, which is several hundred miles south-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. This system will move rapidly west at 20-25 mph. It is forecast to become a tropical depression near the Lesser Antilles by Wednesday.

Jim Laurie is a local meteorologist who earned a B.S. in Meteorology at Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, VT. Jim has fifteen years of professional experience, with eight years in the field of marine meteorology.