Weather

Periodic Showers on Opening Day, Bursts of Snow North

The Red Sox open their Fenway season with clouds and classically cool New England spring air as a northeast wind turns due east but carries cool, moist air in from the Atlantic Ocean. This will be holding ballpark temperatures in the 40s with wind chill values in the 30s.

The continuous onshore wind has gathered enough moisture to result in drizzle from time to time, which likely will continue periodically through the game Tuesday afternoon. However, it won’t turn to substantial rain until an energetic upper-level disturbance and associated weak surface storm system approaches from the west.

Owing to a large amount of energy aloft, downpours and heavy bursts of rain will be brief, lasting only a couple of hours during the late day and early evening. It will be somewhat intense as they race from west to east.

The northern half of New England will be cold enough for bursts of snow instead, and the intensity will be sufficient for a quick accumulation of 2-to-4-inches in most of the mountains of New Hampshire and Maine, with lighter accumulations outside of the mountains.

Clearing will follow the rain and snow bursts overnight Tuesday, leaving a period of morning sunshine Wednesday before new clouds billow and take over the sky by afternoon. A few sprinkles or light showers will be popping up from time to time, more likely to be snow showers in Maine.

Improvement will be gradual, day-by-day, heading into the weekend, but we end up with some incredible weather by Saturday, following a Friday night round of rain that ushers in enough warmth to push most of southern New England into the 70s!

[NATL] Extreme Weather Photos: Record Heat Threatens Europe

Sunday should be cooler ahead of our next storm center, likely to bring rain in the evening through the first half of Marathon Monday.

While a cool, showery start to the marathon seems most likely at this point, there is plenty of reason for hope, as we’ve already seen the trend in rain timing slide earlier by several hours since Monday.

Let's keep our fingers crossed for even earlier timing to get the steadiest rain out by the starting earlier. The best forecast right now is for rain through at least the first half of Monday before seasonable and drier air arrives in the exclusive First Alert 10-day.

Contact Us