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Smoke and Evening Storms Threaten Boston Weekend

Unhealthy smoke levels will limit outdoor activity as a fast-moving system brings heavy, locally flooding rain and lightning Saturday evening.

Overview

  • Air Quality Alerts are in effect across New England because dense, low-level wildfire smoke is reducing visibility and raising health risks for people with asthma, lung disease, heart conditions, and older adults.
  • A fast-moving storm system will produce showers early and a stronger round of thunderstorms in the evening, with the most active window roughly between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and most activity ending before midnight.
  • Boston-area storms are expected to pose the greatest threats from lightning, heavy downpours, and brief gusty winds while the higher risk of damaging winds and a few tornadoes lies farther inland in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
  • Rainfall will be highly variable across short distances, with some spots receiving more than 3 inches and others only a few tenths of an inch, creating the potential for localized flooding where cells train or stall.
  • Conditions clear Sunday with improving air quality and lower humidity, but the pattern becomes unsettled again with renewed chances for showers and thunderstorms Tuesday into Wednesday.