Winter's Last Gasp?: See What March Weather May Bring Across MA

MASSACHUSETTS — With St. Patrick's Day events and 7 p.m. sunsets coming over the next two weeks, there will be definite signs of spring across Massachusetts now that the calendar has turned to March.

Those who have long-since grown weary of a winter filled with persistent bitter temperatures, punishing wind gusts, snow and ice may also get a boost from the National Weather Service's long-range forecasts calling for above-average temperatures across New England for the first time in months.

The 8- to 14-day forecast released on Sunday is calling for a 60 to 80 percent chance of above-normal temperatures leading up to St. Patrick's Day. The three- to four-week forecast for March 15 through March 28 calls for a 55 to 60 percent chance of above-average temperatures.

The warming trend extends to the entire eastern half of the country after many regions experienced a much colder January and February than recent years. In Boston, meteorological winter — December, January and February — was the coldest winter in 10 years with temperatures averaging about 3 degrees colder than average.

Precipitation forecasts suggest a rainy March as well with about a 55 percent chance of above-normal precipitation for both 8- to 14-day and 28-day models.

In the shorter term, Monday could well wind up being the most frigid day for the next eight months or so with high temperatures struggling to reach freezing across Massachusetts after a Sunday night where lows dipped into the teens and wind chills were below zero.

Monday night will not be as cold, with lows in the 20s before the warmer weather returns on Tuesday, with mostly sunny skies, a high of 48 degrees, and light southwest winds.

It will reach into the upper 50s on Wednesday and Thursday, but that will bring with it a swath of rain that could bring up to an inch of precipitation to most of the state along with a strong south wind gusting to 30 mph. The high temperature on Wednesday is 57 degrees, with a high of 58 on Thursday, according to the NWS.

Temperatures will settle back to more seasonable levels into the weekend with a high of 43 with a strong westerly wind on Friday, a high of 47 degrees on Saturday, and a high of 42 on Sunday.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)