Cape Cod forecast: Remnants of Ian bring weekend rain to Cape and Islands

Eric Williams, Cape Cod Times
·3 min read
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For once, there's a reason to be happy about a possibly wet weekend on Cape Cod. We were fortunate enough to dodge most of the effects of powerful Hurricane Ian, so a dose of rain from the remnants of the storm seems a small price to pay.

Here's what the National Weather Service Boston office expects for the weekend, according to their forecast discussion:

"Moisture from the remnants of Ian will lift north into the region this weekend with rain overspreading portions of southern New England Saturday into Sunday, especially areas south of the Mass Pike. The remnants of Ian will remain nearby into early next week, threatening the area with chances of rain from time to time. A drying trend is likely mid to late next week."

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Bands of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ian will be in our neighborhood over the weekend.
Bands of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ian will be in our neighborhood over the weekend.

How much rain will fall on Cape and Islands?

A Facebook post from the Boston office indicates that it might be a bit tricky to nail down exactly how much rain Cape Cod might see this weekend, saying in part that it's "a challenging forecast this weekend into early next week, when the remnants of Ian & its rain shield approach MA, RI & CT. Could be a sharp cutoff in rainfall, from heavy rain to not much if any rain over a short distance."

This led to a fascinating chat with Matthew Belk, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Boston, who likened a powerful hurricane to a spinning figure skater. As the hurricane weakens when it impacts land, it's kind of like when that spinning skater holds out their arms and begins to slow down. Now, all the moisture that was drawn aloft by the hurricane begins to spread out over a wider area and eventually gravity takes over, and that moisture falls as rain. That's what is in play for Cape Cod this weekend.

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On Friday, Belk said it seemed that the rainiest weather this weekend, possibly studded with thunderstorms, looks like it will occur out over the ocean. It's possible that Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard will see more rain than Cape Cod. The islands could see nearly two inches of rain by the end of the weekend, while Cape Cod locations might see a bit over an inch of precipitation during that time.

Here is the Hyannis forecast from the National Weather Service:

Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Northeast wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

Friday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Light northeast wind.

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Saturday: Rain, mainly after noon. High near 62. Northeast wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday night: Rain before 9 p.m., then showers, mainly after 9 p.m. Low around 54. Northeast wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Sunday: Showers likely, mainly before 9 a.m. Cloudy, with a high near 63. Windy, with a northeast wind 18 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

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Sunday Night: A chance of showers, mainly before 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Breezy, with a northeast wind around 21 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 62. Breezy, with a northeast wind 18 to 22 mph.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod forecast: Remnants of Ian bring weekend rain to Cape, Islands