Boston Marathon weather set
Forecasts for the 130th Boston Marathon on April 20 are trending cool and dry, with race-day temperatures expected to run 5 to 15 degrees below a typical mid‑April day. The Boston Globe and WMUR report those cooler, drier conditions as the latest race-week forecast ( ). Start logistics are also locked — athlete groups will depart between about 9:00 a.m. and 11:21 a.m., with finishers arriving throughout the day (boston.com).
Boston Marathon runners are lining up for a cooler-than-usual April 20, with current forecasts pointing to dry conditions and temperatures below a typical mid-April day in Boston. (wmur.com) The latest forecast cited by WMUR says race-day temperatures could run 5 to 15 degrees below normal, with cooler air settling in after a warmer stretch earlier in race week. (wmur.com) The Boston Globe reported the same trend on April 13, saying Marathon Monday was shaping up cool and dry as meteorologists refined the week-ahead outlook for April 20. (bostonglobe.com) That matters in Boston because April race days have swung from heat to headwinds to cold rain, and runners often spend the final week watching every forecast update from Hopkinton to Boylston Street. WCVB noted that April in Massachusetts can vary widely, with average highs around 58 degrees and lows near 43 degrees. (wcvb.com) This year’s race is the 130th Boston Marathon, scheduled for Monday, April 20, on the traditional 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Copley Square. The Boston Athletic Association said the event will welcome athletes from around the world on Patriots’ Day. (baa.org) The field is set at 30,000 runners from more than 130 countries and all 50 states, according to Boston.com’s race guide published April 10. That scale means weather affects not only elite racers chasing time but also thousands of runners and spectators spread across Greater Boston for most of the day. (boston.com) Start logistics are already locked in. Boston.com reported that athlete groups will leave in waves between 9 a.m. and 11:21 a.m., and the Boston Athletic Association said the 2026 race is using a six-wave start. (boston.com; baa.org) The first starters are the men’s wheelchair division at 9:02 a.m. and the women’s wheelchair division at 9:05 a.m., followed by handcycles and duos at 9:30 a.m. and professional men at 9:37 a.m. Professional women begin at 9:47 a.m., with para athletics divisions at 9:50 a.m. before the mass field waves begin at 10 a.m. (boston.com) For now, the race-week story is less about storms and more about timing: a major spring marathon, a full 30,000-person field, and a forecast that has shifted toward cooler, drier air by Monday morning. (wmur.com; bostonglobe.com)
