Sunshine and Thunderstorms Thursday, Followed By Another Low On Friday
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Wednesday brought a little bit of everything to Newfoundland and Labrador as an area of low pressure spun through the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Showers, thunderstorms, drizzle, rain and fog were all in the mix, while warmer and somewhat more humid air pushed into eastern Newfoundland. Humidex values reached the mid-20s in places Wednesday afternoon, including St. John’s.
That system will begin pulling away tonight, setting us up for a more comfortable start to Thursday. Before we get there, though, there is something worth looking for in the night sky.
Perseid Meteor Shower Tonight
Hot on the heels of Wednesday’s partial solar eclipse, the Perseid meteor shower will be visible tonight — at least where the clouds cooperate.
Under ideal conditions, as many as 75 meteors per hour could be visible from a dark location with a good view of the sky. Unfortunately, viewing conditions across much of Newfoundland and Labrador don’t look particularly favourable tonight.
The better chances for breaks in the cloud cover appear to be across parts of central and northeastern Newfoundland, with some opportunities also possible on the Avalon and South Coast. Elsewhere, cloud cover will make viewing more difficult.
If you do head outside, get away from city lights, give your eyes some time to adjust to the darkness and find an area with as much open sky as possible.
A Decent Thursday, But Watch for Afternoon Storms
The showers we’ve seen Wednesday will gradually wind down tonight, although rain will linger longer across southeastern Labrador, including areas around Mary’s Harbour and toward Cartwright.
Thursday morning will be a mixed bag across Newfoundland. Some areas will wake up to sunshine, others to clouds and a few locations may still have showers nearby. As the morning progresses, more areas should break into sunshine.
That sunshine will also help warm the land and destabilize the atmosphere during the afternoon. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop first over interior Newfoundland before drifting north or northeast later in the day. Some thunderstorms are also possible across western Labrador.
Environment and Climate Change Canada indicates that any thunderstorms that develop Thursday should generally remain non-severe. However, locally heavy rainfall, frequent lightning and some gusty winds will still be possible.
Temperatures across Labrador will generally reach the upper teens to around 20°C, with the warmest readings likely around Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Across Newfoundland, many areas will reach the lower to middle 20s, while south and southwest-facing coastlines will remain cooler in the teens.
Overall, Thursday looks like a pretty decent day for most of the province.
Another Low Arrives Friday
Unfortunately, the quieter weather won’t last very long.
Another area of low pressure will move across Newfoundland on Friday, bringing another round of unsettled weather. Rain and showers are expected across eastern, central and western Newfoundland, as well as the Northern Peninsula, and there will once again be a chance of thunderstorms across a good portion of the Island.
The good news is that, at the moment, the heaviest and most organized rainfall associated with this system looks like it may remain largely offshore, east of the Avalon Peninsula. That’s something I’ll continue to watch as the forecast becomes clearer.
Friday will also be relatively warm, with temperatures reaching the 20s in many areas.
Cooler, Breezier and Damp Saturday
As the low moves through Friday night and Saturday morning, our weather pattern will transition from warm to considerably cooler.
Winds will turn northerly behind the system, pulling cooler air across Newfoundland. That means temperatures Saturday will generally fall back into the middle to upper teens.
Drizzle and areas of rain are also possible, particularly across central and eastern Newfoundland and along north-facing shores. Northeastern and eastern Newfoundland could become fairly breezy as well, with gusts potentially reaching 50 to 60 km/h.
So, if you have outdoor plans — including weddings — Saturday’s forecast isn’t looking fantastic at the moment. There is still time for things to change, though, and the exact track of Friday’s low will have a lot to say about how Saturday ultimately turns out.
Labrador, meanwhile, looks considerably quieter over the next several days, with temperatures generally fluctuating between the upper teens and lower 20s and not a whole lot of significant weather on the horizon.
I’ll continue to track Friday’s low and what it means for the weekend and have another update Thursday morning.
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