The level of the Housatonic River at Woods Pond is low due to drought conditions on Wednesday. Sandbars and mud are visible due to the low levels, and aquatic weeds on the shoreline, like water chestnut, are stranded above the waterline. 

The level of the Housatonic River at Woods Pond is low due on Wednesday to drought conditions. Sandbars and mud are visible due to the low levels, and aquatic weeds on the shoreline, like water chestnut, are stranded above the waterline.

The level of the Housatonic River at Woods Pond is low due to drought conditions on Wednesday. Sandbars and mud are visible due to the low levels, and aquatic weeds on the shoreline, like water chestnut, are stranded above the waterline. 

“August was nearly over — the month of apples and falling stars, the last carefree month for the school children. The days were not hot, but sunny and limpidly clear — the first sign of advancing autumn.”

If you’ve been missing summer weather during our recent stretch of cooler days by mid-August standards, look forward to a return of warmth, though nothing excessive, and plenty of sunshine this weekend. Although humidity will creep up, it will feel only slightly muggy. As for rainfall, still the usual pattern: hit or miss thundershowers for both days, more miss than hit, however.

For the work week, the Berkshires and surrounding area will be in between two disturbances, one tracking off the East Coast and the other heading into the Northeast from the Ohio Valley. That means a good chance of showers and thunderstorms, especially on Monday. A widespread beneficial rain is certainly possible, according to the National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y. Isolated thundershowers also are possible on Wednesday and Thursday.

Highs this weekend should hit 85 to 90 before settling back into the 70s and low 80s during the week.

The Climate Prediction Center’s outlook through the rest of the month calls for above-normal temperatures and near normal rainfall.

With this month tracking as one of the driest Augusts on record in Berkshire County, the U.S. Drought Monitor has upgraded Berkshire County — or downgraded, more precisely — into the moderate zone for the western portion and severe for the eastern portion. Much of eastern Massachusetts is now classified as suffering from an extreme drought.

“Despite a few small areas of moderate rain, most of the dry areas in the Northeast Region saw little or no precipitation,” the Drought Monitor’s summary stated. This prompted drought intensification and expansion westward from near-coastal southeastern New England. Extreme drought pushed westward across Rhode Island and toward central Massachusetts and easternmost Connecticut.

Rainfall since mid-May, as recorded by the National Weather Service at Pittsfield Municipal Airport, has totaled only 8.6 inches, compared to the normal of 13.5 inches. So far, six Berkshire communities have announced water-conservation measures — Pittsfield, Cheshire, Adams, Dalton, Hinsdale and Williamstown.

The statewide picture remains bleak:

On the bright side, WBZ-TV Boston meteorologist Terry Eliasen pointed out in an online post, “our region is not really at risk for any long term, landscape-changing drought like parts of the southwestern U.S.”

Saturday: Mostly sunny, high 85 to 90 with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. Partly cloudy overnight, low near 60.

Sunday: Sunny, mid-80s, showers possible from mid-afternoon onward with mostly cloudy skies after dark, low around 60.

Monday: Mostly cloudy, showers likely, mainly after 3 p.m., high in the mid-70s, nighttime low 60 to 65.

Tuesday: Partly cloudy, scattered showers and thunderstorms possible in the afternoon, high near 80, nighttime low in the upper 50s.

Wednesday: Some clouds, slight chance of scattered showers, high 80 to 85, low at night 55-60.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, low-80s; partly cloudy at night, near 60.

Friday: Plenty of sunshine, 80 to 85; partly cloudy overnight, 55 to 60.

Saturday (Aug. 27): Some sun, around 80, a stray thunderstorm possible.

Sources: National Weather Service and AccuWeather.com forecasts for Berkshire County.

He also commented that most farmers are still able to irrigate their crops, and that a short-term drought is less damaging to agriculture than the type of deluge we last saw in July 2021.

Heat continues across interior California and the Pacific Northwest on Saturday, with highs in the upper 90s and low 100s in the interior sections. California’s Central Valley could see temperatures as high as 105.

A major rainstorm could cause significant flash flood impacts in the Southwest, especially southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. By Sunday, the heavy rain should shift eastward into the southern High Plains toward the Texas Panhandle.

Elsewhere, well below normal highs in the 70s to low 80s are forecast for most of the Southwest, Great Basin and southern Rockies due to the widespread clouds and rain. Below normal highs are also forecast for the Southeast (low to mid-80s) and for the Northern Plains (low to mid-70s).

During the week, significant excessive rainfall and flash flood threats are likely over the Southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley.

Clouds and rainfall should keep highs below normal across the South, while much of the West will see above normal daytime highs and overnight lows throughout the week.

A record for overnight warmth was set in the continental U.S. in July, offering little relief from the day’s sizzling heat, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate scientist Karin Gleason. July’s nighttime low was more than 3 degrees warmer than the 20th century average.

“When you have daytime temperatures that are at or near record high temperatures and you don’t have that recovery overnight with temperatures cooling off, it does place a lot of stress on plants, on animals and on humans,” Gleason told the Associated Press. “It’s a big deal.”

The level of the Housatonic River at Woods Pond is low due on Wednesday to drought conditions. Sandbars and mud are visible due to the low levels, and aquatic weeds on the shoreline, like water chestnut, are stranded above the waterline.

In Texas, where the monthly daytime average high was over 100 degrees for the first time in July and the electrical grid was stressed, the average nighttime temperature was a still toasty 74, four degrees above the 20th century average.

For decades climate scientists have said global warming from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas would make the world warmer at night and in the northern polar regions. A study earlier this week said the Arctic is now warming four times faster than the rest of the globe.

NOAA’s global temperature report for July showed that on average, it was the sixth hottest month on record. It was a month of heat waves, including the United Kingdom breaking its all-time heat record.

The Outlook is today's look ahead at the weather this weekend and next week, including its impact on the Berkshires and beyond.

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