Massachusetts is heading into a cold weekend, with a hard freeze expected across much of the state before temperatures rebound Monday. The sharpest overnight chill is forecast away from the coast, while Boston is expected to remain above freezing Friday night.
MassLive reported that temperatures would drop substantially below the freezing mark in many parts of Massachusetts this weekend. NBC Boston’s forecast puts the coldest locations in the mid-20s Friday night, compared with upper-30s readings in Boston. A similar pattern is expected Saturday night into Sunday morning.
The weekend outlook follows an arrival of cooler air Friday, Oct. 23. According to NBC Boston, an offshore storm has moved well out over the Atlantic, shifting the forecast’s focus to colder air moving south from the north. Friday’s highs are expected to reach the middle to upper 50s, with winds easing during the afternoon.
Overnight cold will vary by location
The biggest temperature drop comes after Friday’s daytime readings in the 50s. NBC Boston reported that high pressure will be directly over the area Friday night, setting up a much colder overnight period. In the coldest spots, forecast lows in the mid-20s would put temperatures well under the 32-degree freezing point.
Boston’s forecast is notably milder. NBC Boston attributed the city’s expected upper-30s low to a light breeze along the waterfront. That leaves a clear distinction between the outlook for Boston and the colder conditions expected elsewhere in the state: A widespread freeze does not mean every location will fall below freezing.
Both reports point to a cold weekend for Massachusetts, but they describe it at different scales. MassLive highlighted the prospect of a hard freeze across a large part of the state. NBC Boston supplied a more location-specific picture, with the lowest readings away from the coast and a less severe overnight drop in Boston.
A second cold night follows
The chill is not forecast to be limited to Friday night. NBC Boston expects much the same setup Saturday night and early Sunday, with inland areas again seeing the lowest temperatures. The weekend forecast therefore includes two overnight periods of pronounced cold, rather than a single brief dip.
For Boston, the upper-30s figure specifically applies to Friday night. NBC Boston described Saturday night into Sunday morning as broadly similar, while again identifying locations farther from the coast as the coldest. The available forecasts do not provide a separate temperature for every community, so the statewide freeze outlook is broader than the city-specific prediction.
What’s next: NBC Boston forecasts a substantial temperature increase Monday after the cold weekend. The supplied outlook does not give a Monday high, but it points to a warmup following the two chilly overnight periods.
