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Week starts with chance of rain and thunderstorms, ends with heat up
The Boston area may get some rain on Monday and Tuesday — but it won’t be a washout.
Showers, humidity, and a few thunderstorms will kick off the work week before things clear up and temps creep up to a high of 90 on Friday.
The National Weather Service forecasts a 30 percent chance of showers on Monday afternoon, with a high near 77. More rain and thunderstorms are possible after 9 p.m.
There’s a 60 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms on Tuesday, with a high of 81. The likelihood of showers tapers off around 8 p.m.
Wednesday and Thursday will be mostly sunny and dry, with a high around 86. An end-of-week warmup is due on Friday, with sunny skies and a high near 90.
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Looking ahead, AccuWeather Boston forecasts a hot couple of days next weekend, with highs reaching up to 88 and a few stray thunderstorms.
Dryness persists in Massachusetts, with 40 percent of the state in a severe drought
Rain accumulation will total less than a half-inch on Monday and Tuesday, offering some relief to the drought-stricken region but falling short of what experts say is necessary for raising groundwater levels.
The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that about 40 percent of the state is in a severe drought, up from 24 percent the week prior. The remainder of the state is in a moderate drought, according to the monitor. Experts have said that the state would need a few months of substantial rainfall to replenish groundwater.
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Boston Meteorologist Dave Epstein said rainfall for the entire year is now about an inch off the all-time driest of 1965.
Experts have warned of an elevated wildfire risk due to a combination of low humidity and arid ground.
“Any fire that ignites can easily and rapidly spread in these conditions,” the NWS said Saturday.
The Massachusetts National Guard was called in on Thursday to help fight the Briarwood Fire, which has been burning for more than a month across a 19-acre area in Rockport. On Tuesday night, firefighters from multiple Metrowest communities worked to extinguish a large brush fire near a Mass Audubon property.
Several brush fires also forced the closure of Lynn Woods Reservation and Saugus’s Breakheart Reservation.
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