Cooler weather follows strong storm
A period of cooler temperatures is poised to begin after a severe thunderstorm passed on Tuesday afternoon. The storm, which arrived shortly after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, brought heavy downpours, strong winds, and a barrage of hailstones to MIT’s campus. At Boston’s Logan airport, the storm brought nearly half an inch of rainfall in less than an hour, with recorded wind gusts of up to 51 miles per hour (82 km/h). Golf ball-sized hail was reported in Harvard Square, while hailstones 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter were observed in nearby Jamaica Plain. The storm capped off an especially severe weather day in Massachusetts, in which supercell thunderstorms resulted in multiple tornado warnings being issued by the National Weather Service.
In the aftermath of the storm, temperatures at the Institute are poised to become noticeably lower in the next few days, as the wind pattern shifts to bring cooler oceanic air onshore. Daytime temperatures will top out in the mid-70s °F, breaking a streak of 10 consecutive days with highs above 80°F (27°C). While the weekend will likely stay dry, a chance of showers will persist from tonight through Sunday as an active storm system passes offshore to the south and east.