What’s the weather going to be this Memorial Day weekend? Mother Nature is smiling on the Berkshires this year | Weather

A rain-free, warm Memorial Day weekend? That’s not something we can count on in the Berkshires — often in recent years, the holiday liftoff for the summer season has been disappointing.

Last year, for example, was a partial washout, and 2021 was even soggier with temperatures in the 40s.

But here’s the good news for this weekend and beyond: Nothing more than a few fair-weather clouds in the sky, well into next week. After the unseasonable chill of the past few days, temperatures will soar into mid-summer territory starting Sunday, with highs topping 80 and unobstructed sunshine and moonlight.

The almost too-good-to-be-true forecast from the National Weather Service credits the strong fair-weather system that brought us cool Canadian air but now is heating up. The high-pressure dome extends from the Great Lakes to New England and the system’s center will be heading toward the Gulf of Maine. At the same time, an intense storm is hanging tough right off the North Carolina coast.

As AccuWeather.com pointed out in an online post Friday, the result is something like a roadblock, preventing moisture from a storm in the Southeastern from moving up the Eastern Seaboard. That storm could briefly become a tropical system before moving inland over the Carolinas this weekend.

Anyone heading south for the holiday weekend should be cautioned — heavy rain and stormy conditions once you get into the mid-Atlantic states, area, especially in the Carolinas, where rainfall totaling 2 to 4 inches is predicted.

If you’re staying close to home here or traveling in New England or upstate New York, you’re in the clear. It may even be perfect beach weather as temperatures warm up, though ocean and lake water remains typicaly chilly for late spring.

But the strong sun, approaching its peak intensity with the summer solstice  just three weeks away and 15 hours of daylight, promises ideal outdoor recreation, assuming maximum sunburn protection.

For next week, starting with Memorial Day on Monday, warm and dry conditions continue, with highs into the mid-80s locally. By Thursday, highs could approach 90, but with no tropical humidity, pleasant daytimes and cool, comfortable overnights will continue.

There’s a chance of showers developing by next Friday along with a hot spell — highs in the upper 80s to low 90s and overnight lows only dropping into the upper 50s to low 60s.

The Climate Prediction Center’s extended outlook for June 2-8 indicates warmer than normal temperatures in western Massachusetts with rainfall near average.

The Outlook is a look ahead at the weather in the Berkshires this weekend, next week and beyond. Clarence Fanto can be reached at cfanto@yahoo.com.