Boston weather worry

Boston’s marathon forecast has turned colder and windier for Monday, with runners now preparing for gusts instead of the summerlike heat seen earlier this week. (wcvb.com) The 130th Boston Marathon is scheduled for Patriots’ Day, Monday, April 20, 2026, and the Boston Athletic Association says 30,000 participants will take the course from Hopkinton to Boylston Street. (baa.org) The Boston Athletic Association also shifted to six start waves this year, with athletes expected to be across the start line before 11:30 a.m. and the finish line closing at 5:30 p.m. in Boston. (baa.org) WCVB’s StormTeam 5 said showers are possible in Massachusetts before race day, but skies are expected to clear for the marathon itself. The station said April 20 in Boston typically brings an average high of 58 degrees and an average low of 43. (wcvb.com) That swing matters on this course because Boston is run in April, when New England weather can jump from cold mornings to warm afternoons and force runners to adjust layers, pacing and hydration plans. (wgbh.org) GBH reported that the race’s weather history includes snow years, soaking rain years and extreme heat, including the 2012 marathon, when organizers urged runners to slow down or defer as temperatures climbed into the mid- to upper-80s. (wgbh.org) Wind can cut both ways in Boston. GBH said a strong tailwind helped produce the 2011 course record by Geoffrey Mutai, while the 2018 race brought temperatures in the 30s and 40s with rain and a stiff headwind. (wgbh.org) For Monday, that leaves runners and spectators watching the same variable Boston has delivered for 129 years: not whether the race will go on, but which version of April shows up. (wcvb.com)