Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
000
FXUS61 KBOX 081733
AFDBOX
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
133 PM EDT Sun Mar 8 2026
.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
No significant changes to the forecast. We now have high confidence
in springtime warmth for much of this week, especially Tuesday,
along with the potential for minor river flooding within the next 7
days.
&&
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Any lingering scattered showers depart by mid-morning with
partial clearing this afternoon northwest of I-95...but low
clouds, drizzle, and fog persist toward the Cape & Islands
Otherwise...a significant warming trend today into Mon. Highs
in the 50s to near 60 today & into the 60s Mon.
- Above normal temperatures next week. Trending more unsettled mid
to late week with a round or two of precipitation possible.
- Expecting significant snowmelt over the coming week. Minor
river flooding possible.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1...Any lingering scattered showers depart by mid-
morning with partial clearing this afternoon northwest of
I-95...but low clouds, drizzle and fog persist toward the Cape &
Islands Otherwise...a significant warming trend today into Mon.
Highs in the 50s to near 60 today & into the 60s Mon.
Any lingering scattered showers should come to an end by mid-morning
as a shortwave/core of the low level jet departs. Otherwise...moist
S-SW flow turns gradually turns to a more W direction during the
afternoon. This should gradually allow partial clearing during the
afternoon at least to the northwest of I-95. Further southeast...
especially towards the south coast, Cape and Islands the
southwest flow off the ocean will hold low clouds, drizzle and fog
for a good portion of the day. High temps today are dependent on how
quick the low clouds scour out. If they are slower to scour
out...highs probably will be mainly in the middle 50s.
However...partial clearing occurring on the earlier side may yield
60+ degree highs for a good portion of the region. Coolest readings
today will be found near the south coast, Cape and Islands given the
marine influence, low clouds and fog.
A drier airmass in place tonight with light/calm winds and mainly
clear skies will allow low temps to drop into the 20s and 30s...to
near 40 in the urban heat island of Boston and also parts of the
Worcester Hills given the unseasonably mild temps aloft. This will
set the stage for an unseasonably mild day across the region and
temps we have not experienced since last fall. Given 925T near +10C
and model cross sections indicating plenty of sunshine...expect high
temps to reach into the 60s in many locations! Needless to say...the
remaining snowpack will be melting away very quickly.
KEY MESSAGE 2...Above normal temperatures next week. Trending more
unsettled mid to late week with a round or two of precipitation
possible.
High pressure centered over the western Atlantic will continue to
funnel warm, southwest flow into the region through Wednesday
pushing 925 mb temps as high as 13-15C on Tuesday. This will likely
be the pick of the week temperature-wise with highs reaching well
into the 60s and even touching 70s in spots; the EPS ensemble
guidance has trended up to a 50-60% chance of reaching 70F in parts
of the CT valley so it's in the realm of possibility. There are two
asterisks to the warmth: First, both Tue and Wed southerly flow off
the water will keep the immediate south coast in the 50s. Second,
guidance is less aggressive than it was, but continues to indicate
the possibility for a back door cold front on Wednesday to keep
temps in northeast MA well below the rest of the region. Confidence
is low as to how extensive that impact may be.
Our next low pressure system approaches the Great Lakes by Wednesday
which pulls a plume of moisture/cloudcover overhead for mid week
which will help to put a damper on temperatures a bit, only in the
upper 50s and low 60s. This, ahead of a deep trough for Thursday.
Ahead of the main trough a weak shortwave moves through the flow
north of SNE Wednesday which may produce some scattered rain showers
in the interior, but the more robust precipitation accompanies the
cold front on Thursday. This likely falls as rain for most, changing
to snow in the high terrain as colder air is pulled in on the back
end. There is less certainty with regard to a weaker disturbance
passing to our north late Friday into Saturday.
KEY MESSAGE 3...Expecting significant snowmelt over the coming week.
Minor river flooding possible.
Elevated temperatures and dewpoints this week will lead to rapid
melting of what's left of our snowpack which eventually leads to
rises on rivers and streams. Guidance continues to indicate a
likelihood of reaching minor flood stage in the CT river valley late
next week, and can't rule out several other rivers as well.
&&
.AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Forecaster Confidence Levels...
Low - less than 30 percent.
Moderate - 30 to 60 percent.
High - greater than 60 percent.
18z TAF Update...
Today...High confidence in trends with moderate confidence in
timing.
Widespread IFR conditions continue to improve this afternoon,
with areas northwest of I-95 already VFR as drier air arrives.
Meanwhile...IFR/LIFR conditions will persist near the south
coast and especially the Cape & Islands where fog and areas of
drizzle may linger into the afternoon. Generally WSW winds 5-10
knots with a few gusts up to 20 knots.
Tonight and Monday...High confidence.
Any lingering IFR/LIFR conditions near the Cape/Islands this
evening should scour out toward or shortly after after midnight.
Otherwise...mainly VFR tonight and Monday. Calm/light SW winds
tonight. Winds on Mon will be from the S-SW at 7 to 15 knots.
KBOS Terminal...High confidence in trends and moderate
confidence in timing.
KBDL Terminal...High confidence in trends and moderate
confidence in timing.
Outlook /Tuesday through Friday/...
Tuesday through Tuesday Night: VFR.
Wednesday: Mainly VFR, with local IFR possible. Breezy. Slight
chance RA.
Wednesday Night: Windy with gusts up to 35 kt. Chance RA.
Thursday: Strong winds with local gusts up to 40 kt. RA likely.
Thursday Night: Windy with areas of gusts up to 30 kt. Chance
SN.
Friday: Breezy. Slight chance RA, slight chance SN.
&&
.MARINE...
Forecaster Confidence Levels...
Low - less than 30 percent.
Moderate - 30 to 60 percent.
High - greater than 60 percent.
Today through Monday...High confidence.
Lingering SW wind gusts of 20 to 30 knots should diminish this
morning as the core of the LLJ departs. However...lingering small
craft swell will be slower to diminish but should finally depart all
our waters by mid-morning Monday. Will gradually be dropping small
craft headlines through that time. Lastly...areas of fog which will
be dense at times will be a concern for mariners especially across
the southern waters into this evening. Drier air finally works into
the entire region after that time bringing an end to the fog.
Outlook /Tuesday through Friday/...
Tuesday through Tuesday Night: Winds less than 25 kt.
Wednesday: Winds less than 25 kt. Seas locally approaching
5 ft.
Wednesday Night: Strong winds with gusts up to 40 kt. Areas of
rough seas. Chance of rain.
Thursday: Strong winds with gusts up to 40 kt. Rough seas up to
12 ft. Rain likely.
Thursday Night: Strong winds with gusts up to 35 kt. Rough seas
up to 11 ft. Chance of rain, slight chance of snow.
Friday: Moderate risk for Small Craft Advisory winds with local
gusts up to 30 kt. Areas of rough seas.
&&
.BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CT...None.
MA...None.
RI...None.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 7 PM EDT this evening for ANZ232-
233.
Small Craft Advisory until 11 PM EDT this evening for ANZ235-
237.
Small Craft Advisory until 10 PM EDT this evening for ANZ250.
Small Craft Advisory until 7 AM EDT Monday for ANZ254>256.
&&
$$
DISCUSSION...Belk/Mensch
AVIATION...McMinn
MARINE...Belk/Mensch
Meta data:
ID: 678fcf22-64c7-4ff0-89a9-a9aa26c44c6a
Link:
https://api.weather.gov/products/678fcf22-64c7-4ff0-89a9-a9aa26c44c6a
Index:
https://api.weather.gov/products/types/AFD/locations/BOX