4:30 pm Tuesday Afternoon Weather Update For Western & Central Mass

Heavy downpours & a few thunderstorms are making their way northeastward across Worcester County at the time of this post. The heaviest rainfall is occurring in the western Worcester Hills as well as along the Mass Pike from Sturbridge to Auburn & along I-395.

This really heavy rain will be pushing into the Worcester Metro over the next 15-30 minutes & will also affect much of the I-190 and I-290 corridors starting within the next 30 minutes or so.

This very heavy rain is, obviously, occurring during the afternoon commute & those of you traveling right now across Central Mass need to expect very slow going due to blinding rain, localized flooding on roads & highways & the risk of hydroplaning.

This heavy rain is expected to start moving out of Central Mass by 5:30-6 pm. That may not be it though as I'm also watching widespread showers and thunderstorms, some of them strong, now pushing into far Western and Southwestern Mass. This new round of showers and thunderstorms will gradually cross Western Mass over the next 1-2 hours & then potentially reach Central Mass by between 6 and 7 pm.

On & Off Showers & Thunderstorms Are Expected The Rest Of This Afternoon & This Evening Across Western & Central Mass (Posted at 12:45 pm Tuesday Afternoon 7/21/2026)

Showers with heavy downpours are making their way across parts Western Mass and across much of Central Mass at the time of this post. It is expected that this particular area of heavy showers will continue across the region for the next couple of hours before they come to an end from southwest to northeast by mid-afternoon.

Additional showers and thunderstorms are then expected to affect the entire area by later this afternoon. This second round of showers and thunderstorms are then expected to last through this evening. Some of the thunderstorms may be capable of producing heavy downpours and lightning. While a strong or severe thunderstorm is possible with this second round of storms, it appears that the risk is very low. That said, this is something that'll be watched, just in case.

A break in the shower activity is then expected from after midnight tonight through Wednesday morning. It then appears that some scattered showers and thunderstorms are a possibility from about mid-afternoon Wednesday through Wednesday evening. A couple of the thunderstorms could be on the strong to severe side & be capable of producing gusty winds, small hail, torrential downpours and frequent lightning. This will be something to keep an eye on once we get into the day on Wednesday.

A Round Of Showers & Thunderstorms Are Expected From Tuesday Afternoon Through Wednesday Across Western & Central Mass

For The Rest Of This Afternoon & Tonight: A very nice rest of the afternoon in terms of weather is expected across Western & Central Mass. Expect sunny to partly sunny skies with temperatures around 80 Degrees. Dew point temperatures will be in the upper 40s to low 50s. Winds will be Southwest at around 10 mph.

Clear skies are expected during tonight with low temperatures between 55 and 60 Degrees. Winds will be Southwest at around 10 mph.

Tuesday Through Wednesday: A frontal system is going to be on its approach to the area during Tuesday & Tuesday night before it crosses the region on Wednesday. This front will bring with it gusty winds and a round of showers and thunderstorms with heavy downpours that’ll last from Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night and Wednesday. It appears that any strong or severe thunderstorms will be very limited with the much higher risk for severe weather staying to our west and southwest from New York State southward through the Mid-Atlantic States.

Tuesday looks to start out partly sunny, but will quickly become cloudy by late morning or early afternoon. There may be a few showers or isolated thunderstorms during the afternoon with the coverage of shower and thunderstorm activity increasing by late afternoon. High temperatures will be between 75 and 80 Degrees. Dew point temperatures will be in the mid 60s. Winds will be South at 10 to 20 mph.

Tuesday night looks cloudy & windy. In addition, there is the expectation for widespread showers and scattered thunderstorms. Most of this shower and thunderstorm activity looks to occur during the evening hours. Additionally, any of the shower or thunderstorm activity will produce heavy downpours. Low temperatures will be around 65 Degrees. Winds will be Southwest at 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30-35 mph.

Wednesday is expected to be a cloudy, windy and humid day. In addition, there’s the possibility of some scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms as the region will remain in a unstable air mass. It’s possible that a couple of the thunderstorms could be on the strong side & be capable of producing gusty winds and heavy downpours. High temperatures will be around 80 Degrees. Dew point temperatures will be in the mid 60s. Winds will be Southwest at 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30-35 mph.

Thursday & Friday: A big high pressure system is expected to build into the area for Thursday and Friday.

Thursday looks sunny with high temperatures near 75 Degrees. Dew point temperatures will be between 45 and 50 Degrees.

Friday looks partly sunny with high temperatures between 80 and 85 Degrees. Dew point temperatures will be in the low to mid 50s.

Weekend Weather Outlook: That high pressure system will remain in control of the weather throughout this weekend bringing with it dry weather & the potential for a very nice weekend.

Saturday looks sunny with high temperatures between 80 and 85 Degrees. Dew point temperatures will be in the mid 50s.

Sunday is expected to be sunny with high temperatures between 80 and 85 Degrees. Dew point temperatures will be around 60 Degrees.