Cool, dry forecast
Race‑week forecasts for Boston call for temperatures 5–15° below normal and generally cool, dry conditions on race day, per the Boston Globe and local weather coverage. ( )
Boston Marathon week is shaping up cooler than usual, with local forecasts pointing to a dry race day on Monday, April 20. (bostonglobe.com) The race is set for Patriots’ Day, April 20, 2026, and the Boston Athletic Association says this year’s field includes 30,000 runners from more than 130 countries. (baa.org, boston.com) The Boston Globe reported Monday that temperatures for race week were expected to run 5 to 15 degrees below normal, while local television forecasts described Monday as generally cool and dry. (bostonglobe.com, wmur.com, wcvb.com) That outlook stands out in Boston because April weather can swing hard in either direction. Weather.com lists Boston’s historical April average at 56 degrees for highs and 41 degrees for lows. (weather.com) Race-day weather is part of the event’s history as much as Heartbreak Hill. GBH reported last week that the marathon has been run through spring snow, cold rain and summerlike heat since its 1897 debut. (wgbh.org) Two recent years still define the extremes for many runners: 2012 brought a 91-degree day, and 2018 brought rain and temperatures around 39 to 40 degrees. (wickedlocal.com, time.com) Researchers who analyzed Boston Marathon results from 1972 through 2018 found weather conditions were tied to performance, with temperature, wind and precipitation all affecting finishing times. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) For runners and spectators, that makes a cool, dry forecast notable even this far out: it suggests fewer weather disruptions than some of the race’s most punishing years, if the pattern holds through Monday. (bostonglobe.com, wmur.com)
