Rain could appear in Western Mass. Thursday, but dry spell could herald high weekend temps

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is expected to dissipate further as this week continues, but rain could return and temperatures could start to climb during the weekend.

Cool and dry conditions should continue after a few chances for showers, and thunderstorms in Berkshire County in particular, on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Thunderstorms aside, spot showers could appear in northwestern Massachusetts, with a slim chance for instability, forecasters said. The rest of the state should see dry conditions with increasing sunshine throughout the day.

Daytime highs could be in the mid-70s or close to 80 degrees, with cooler temperatures expected along the coast of Eastern Massachusetts, forecasters said. Temperatures should fall further with lows in the mid- to high 50s, while it could be in the low 50s across the northern interior.

A potential tropical system is expected to appear offshore during Friday and the weekend, but dry conditions should dominate the forecast within this timeframe, the weather service stated.

Temperatures on Friday are expected to be between 77 and 84 degrees, while Saturday should see temperatures climb between 78 and 86 degrees, forecasters said.

Elevated dewpoints should be prominent starting on Sunday and continuing through Monday until Wednesday, forecasters said. This leaves open the potential for thunderstorms developing by Tuesday and especially Wednesday, when dewpoints could be in the 60s or 70s.

High dewpoints could also aggravate already hot weather on Sunday, with temperatures in the 90s, feeling hotter, the weather service stated. This could continue until Wednesday.

“Yet to be seen if we`ll need any heat headlines, but the big picture is that we`ll be going from a period of below average temps this week to above average next week,” forecasters wrote.