This early spring warmth is expected to continue as we head into the Memorial Day weekend — the unofficial kick-off of summer. Overall, the weekend looks pretty good, with Monday being the one day that will end up with light showers in the afternoon.
Friday looks like a beauty of a day: Temperatures will be in the 80- to 85-degree range across most of New England, although it will be cooler on Cape Cod and Downeast Maine.
Saturday & Sunday
Both Saturday and Sunday will feature partly to mostly sunny skies. Temperatures will be within a few degrees of 80 with comfortable levels of humidity. For a Memorial Day weekend, it doesn’t get much nicer.
Once you step outside, you’ll notice the air is more comfortable with a passing front ushering in a westerly flow and dry air into the area — dew points will stay comfortably in the upper 40s and low 50s Friday through Monday, Memorial Day.
There’s the chance of a pop-up shower or thunderstorm, especially over northern areas, on Sunday afternoon, but I wouldn’t change any plans for that possibility.
Monday
A larger system will start to push into New England on Monday, bringing more widespread showers throughout Boston, and really much of New England, around midday — but they may also disrupt much of the afternoon. Rainfall should remain light during the day and get heavier at night.
It will be cooler on Monday with temperatures in the lower 70s and if you’re planning to go to the beach over the three-day weekend, I would steer away from Monday.
Speaking of the beach, high tides will occur this weekend in the early afternoons, with water temperatures mostly in the 50s, although still in the 40s along the coast of Maine where the water temperatures take longer to warm up.
We also have very early sunrises and late sunsets this time of the year. The sunrise on Memorial Day will be 5:12 a.m. and is actually a minute earlier than it is on July 4. This is because by then we are about three weeks off the earliest sunrise of the year.
Weekend breakdown
Southern New England: Friday and Saturday will likely be carbon copies of each other. Friday will see mostly sunny skies with dry air and temps reaching the low 80s between Springfield and Hartford, and then across Worcester, Providence, Framingham, and Lowell. A few more clouds enter the picture for Saturday, but temps will remain in the low 80s. Winds shift to more of a southeasterly flow, which will bring slightly cooler temps to Providence. Sunday will see more clouds but with still streaks of sunshine as temps stay in the low 80s once again. Scattered showers are possible in the afternoon but should be short-lived. Monday will bring a cooldown to the mid-70s, as scattered light showers midday will turn into more occasional showers into the evening.
Western Mass.: Friday and Saturday will be great weather days. Temps west and north of Springfield will reach the upper 70s and low 80s both today and Saturday. Friday will see more sunshine than Saturday, but any Berkshire plans to start the holiday weekend will be met with ideal weather. More clouds roll in on Sunday with the chance for a light shower. but Sunday looks to stay mostly dry with temps staying pat in the upper 70s. Monday will be noticeably cooler with highs around 70 with scattered showers lurking. More steady rain can be expected by Monday evening.
Cape and Islands: A popular destination for the unofficial start of summer and it will be a beautiful day Friday across the Cape, though just a little on the chilly side with temperatures in the mid-60s to the low 70s depending on where you end up. Lots of sunshine for Friday and Saturday with winds staying below 10 mph. By Sunday, you’ll start to notice a few more clouds roll in with a slight chance for a spot shower as temperatures stay the course, ranging between the mid-60s and the 70-degree mark. Monday looks to be gloomy with mostly cloudy skies, a chill in the air with temps in the low 60s and increasing showers as the afternoon progresses.
Northern New England: Both Friday and Saturday will boast great weather with lots of sunshine and temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s across Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Even coastal Maine will see temperatures near 80. Saturday may have a few more clouds than Friday. Although temperatures stay warm Sunday, a system to the west may bring more clouds into the picture and a few spot showers. Temps will hover around 80 and any showers should be brief. By Monday, mostly cloudy skies will keep temps in the low- to mid-70s, and will turn overcast with scattered showers entering Vermont early afternoon, and New Hampshire and Maine later in the evening, with steady rain overnight.
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