Massachusetts is heading into a brief stretch of milder weather before temperatures turn cooler for Halloween weekend, according to forecasts from NBC Boston and MassLive. Thursday’s sunshine will accompany afternoon temperatures in the 60s, offering a warmer finish to a chilly start around Greater Boston.
The two outlets describe the same broad progression: a late-week warmup followed by a cooler weekend. NBC Boston expects the warming trend to extend through Friday before cooler conditions return for Halloween. MassLive also forecasts sunny, warmer weather ahead of the weekend change.
Thursday’s afternoon forecasts vary somewhat in their temperature ranges and geographic scope. MassLive puts highs across much of Massachusetts in the lower to middle 60s. NBC Boston projects temperatures reaching the middle to upper 60s in its forecast, which describes the chilly morning across Greater Boston.
Those ranges point to a milder afternoon in both reports, though they do not provide one uniform high for every location. The statewide outlook from MassLive is a little cooler than the range NBC Boston gives in its account of the day’s warmup.
Sunshine and a southwest breeze
NBC Boston forecasts abundant sunshine Thursday, with a breezy wind from the southwest helping temperatures rise during the afternoon. The change will follow the cold morning conditions the outlet reported across Greater Boston, making the day’s temperature pattern a notable part of the forecast.
The warmth will ease overnight, but NBC Boston expects temperatures to settle in the middle 50s under largely clear skies. That puts the overnight forecast below Thursday’s expected afternoon readings, before the next change in the weather pattern arrives early Friday.
A weak cold front is forecast to move across New England early Friday morning, according to NBC Boston. Its outlook nevertheless describes the warmup as continuing through Friday, with the cooler turn arriving in time for Halloween rather than replacing Thursday’s milder conditions immediately.
Cooler weather for the holiday
For Halloween plans, the key distinction in the available forecasts is between the warmer end of the workweek and the cooler weekend. Both outlets identify that transition, but the supplied reports do not give a specific temperature for Halloween evening or a detailed hour-by-hour holiday forecast.
The 60-degree readings in the reports apply to Thursday afternoon, not to Halloween night. Similarly, the middle-50s forecast from NBC Boston applies to Thursday night. Neither figure establishes how cool conditions will be during the holiday’s evening hours.
The forecasts therefore offer a clearer picture of the immediate warmup than of the precise conditions later in the weekend: sunshine and afternoon readings in the 60s Thursday, followed by a cooler period around Halloween.
What’s next: NBC Boston forecasts the weak front’s arrival early Friday, followed by the return of cooler weather for Halloween. MassLive’s outlook likewise places the cooler conditions after the sunny, warmer stretch.
