fb-pixel Skip to main content

Is this the worst weather ever at the Boston Marathon?

Runners crossed the Boston Marathon finish line Monday afternoon limping, shivering, grimacing, and even weeping, looking like they had survived a tremendous physical ordeal — and, of course, they had.
Runners crossed the Boston Marathon finish line Monday afternoon limping, shivering, grimacing, and even weeping, looking like they had survived a tremendous physical ordeal — and, of course, they had.

The Boston Marathon has seen it all when it comes to weather conditions: driving wind and rain, extreme heat, mist so heavy that TV coverage was limited.

Some Marathon observers might say 1905 was the worst year, when temperatures hit the 100-degree mark. Others will tell you nothing beats 2007, when the race was almost canceled because of ice and rain.

It’s a bit subjective to rank what type of weather is toughest — for some it’s the sweltering heat that’s a deal-breaker, for others nothing is worse that snow squalls. Here’s a list of some of the most unwelcoming conditions in the history of the race, as described by the BAA in a historical rundown listed on its website.

Advertisement



Snow

1907: Traces of sleet

1908: Snowflakes and drizzle

1925: Cold wind and occasional snowflakes

1961: Snow squalls driven by winds of 10-12 miles per hour; recorded temperature was 39 degrees

1967: Snow squalls accompanied the runners through the first five miles

Driving rain

1970: Mix of rain and sleet; temperatures in the high 30s

2007: Rain; winds gusting 25–30 miles per hour; temperatures in the mid-40s

2015: Rain; winds gusting up to 15 miles per hour; temperatures in the mid-40s

Extreme heat or unseasonable warmth

1905: The temperature was reported to have reached the 100-degree mark

1909: The temperature soared to 97 degrees

1915: Reports of “intense heat”

1927: With the temperature reaching 84 degrees, a newly surfaced but uncured road melted under the runners’ shoes

1931: Reports of “terrific heat” that “spelled ruin to the hopes of countless ambitious runners”

1952: The temperature rose to the upper 80s, with a high of 88 degrees

1958: The temperature climbed to 84 degrees

1976: For much of the first half of the race, the temperature along the course was reported to be 96 degrees

Advertisement



1987: The temperature was in the mid/upper 80s and the humidity was more than 95 percent

2004: The hottest Marathon since 1976 (86 degrees at the finish) caused a record number of heat-related illnesses

2012: The temperature reached 75 degrees by the start of the Women’s Elite field (9:30 a.m.), with a high of 89 degrees reported in Framingham (10K mark) by mid-day

Other unusual weather conditions

1939: Runners at the start of the race in Hopkinton experienced dark skies caused by a partial eclipse of the sun and a northeast storm

2002: A heavy mist severely reduced visibility, grounding helicopters, which resulted in limited televised coverage of the race

2010: Eyjafjallajokull, a volcano in Southern Iceland, erupted in late March, and again on April 14, interrupting European air travel for weeks. Hundreds of Boston Marathon entrants were unable to make the trip and were granted the option of deferred entry into the 2011 Boston Marathon


Matt Rocheleau can be reached at matthew.rocheleau@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mrochele