Weather: Winter or Spring?
By Nikki PriveSTAFF METEOROLOGIST -- The sight of flowers springing up on campus may seem to herald the arrival of spring in Boston, unusually early this year. In fact, this winter has been warmer than any other winter on record, with temperatures from December through February more than 1šF warmer than the next-warmest winter, which was the winter of 1932-1933. Unfortunately, these warm temperatures have been accompanied by a lack of precipitation, and there is a drought watch in effect for northeastern Massachusetts. Much of southern New England is under a mild to moderate drought, with precipitation last fall only at 50 to 70 percent of usual levels.
Will this spring-like weather continue, or will there be a switch to typical March weather? The extended forecast calls for near normal temperatures for the middle of March (mid 40s F), with higher than average precipitation. Although ocean temperatures in the Pacific seem to indicate that a period of El Nino might begin later this year, there is currently no impact on the Boston climate due to either El Nino or La Nina. Without any strong climactic indicators such as El Nino, it is difficult to predict what late March and April may have in store.
Extended Forecast
Today: Overcast, highs in the low 50s F (11šC), light winds.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, lows in the lower 40s F (6šC).
Saturday: Partly sunny, warmer, highs near 60šF (15šC). Becoming cloudy overnight, with the possibility of rain, low around 40šF (5šC).
Sunday: Chance of rain, windy, cooler. Highs in the upper 40s F (9šC).
Sunday night: Rain. Low near 40šF (4šC).
Monday: Sunny, breezy, cold. Highs in the upper 30s (3šC).
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