CT Weather: Thunderstorms, More Rain Friday Afternoon, Evening

CONNECTICUT — Almost one week ago, Connecticut was staring at high temperatures in the low 50s and several inches of rain, and now we're talking about an impending heat wave and record high temperatures. What a rollercoaster ride.

On Friday afternoon and evening, Connecticut could see strong thunderstorms breakout across the state. WTNH News 8 chief meteorologist Gil Simmsons said the most likely time to expect storms is between 2-8 p.m. A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for Fairfield County until 8 p.m.

"A weakening cold front is expected to push through the area throughout the evening providing the lift necessary for thunderstorms," the National Weather Service said. "... there could be a line (of) strong thunderstorms forming along the cold front as it enters the area this evening. The (main) threat will likely be gusty to damaging winds as storms roll through Long Island and southern Connecticut. Rain totals around a half and inch will be possible though isolated instances of higher amounts are not out of the question."

The good news is that once the storms roll on through Friday evening, the weekend looks dry and temperatures will soar, possibly into the 90s and some records could be set.

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Here are the forecast details for southern Connecticut:

Today: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 74. South wind around 8 mph.

Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Southwest wind 5 to 11 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 68. West wind around 8 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 86. Southwest wind 7 to 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 67.

Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut:

Today: A chance of showers before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Cloudy, with a high near 77. Southwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Patchy fog after 10pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. South wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Light south wind becoming southwest 6 to 11 mph in the morning.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 68. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 94. West wind 3 to 8 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 67. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.