Boston is set to see a string of unseasonably warm fall days before another cold front pushes temperatures into a more normal range heading into the weekend, according to National Weather Service forecasts.
“It looks like a pretty nice start to the week,” said NWS meteorologist Kyle Pederson. “We’re going to have temperatures (Monday) that are going to be quite warm, possibly even record breaking.”
Highs through Wednesday are forecasted to reach into the upper 70s, an unusual break from the cool New England fall weather. Skies are predicted to remain sunny to mostly clear through the entire week, with a light breeze in the air, according to NWS forecasts.
The high on Monday is forecasted to be 78 degrees, the closest Boston may get to breaking a record temperature. The record high for the day was set at 82 degrees, Pederson said.
As temperatures rise throughout New England this week, Pederson said, Hartford, Connecticut may come closest to breaking a record. The predicted high in Hartford is 80 degrees on Monday, just shy of the city’s 82 degree record for that day.
The warm temperatures and other factors also present an elevated risk of fires in the Boston area and much of Massachusetts. NWS issued a Special Weather Statement on Sunday to warn residents in parts of Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, Worcester and other Massachusetts counties.
“There’s Special Weather Statements for elevated fire weather conditions for sure (Monday) and maybe into next couple days as well,” Pederson said. “With the warm conditions, we also have really dry air out there, and wind (Monday) could be a bit gusty, like 15, 20 miles an hour.”
The advisory states that “conditions favoring wildfire development are again possible” and recommends people “use caution when handling ignition sources.”
“Be careful if you’re trying to set a campfire, or don’t dispose of like any lit cigarettes; that sort of thing,” said Pederson. “Anything that could cause a fire, just take extra precautions in the next couple of days.”
Later in the week and into the weekend, Boston temperatures are expected to drop back down into cooler fall temperatures. High temperatures are expected to range from the 61 degrees to 56 degrees through Sunday, while lows dip into the low 40s and high 30s.
“It all changes Thursday,” said Pederson. “We’ve got a big cold front coming in. Not anticipating a lot of rain with this cold front, but we’re bringing temperatures during the day back down into the upper 50s, low 60s. More seasonable.”
