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Boston Marathon Forecast: Expect Unsettled, Rainy Weather On Monday

BOSTON (CBS) -- What is your ideal running weather? A clear, cold day? Cool temperatures with a little light rain? Room temperature with a bag of chips and the TV on?

Boston is a tough place to run a marathon. Training conditions are typically brutal. No doubt you have run through rain, snow, ice and bitterly cold temperatures at one point or another over the last few months. And then comes April. Just about anything can and will happen in Boston in April.

marathon 10 years
(WBZ graphic)

It could be 90+ degrees like it was back in 1976, dubbed "the run for the hoses." It could be snowing like it was back in 1961 and 1967. There could be a deluge of rain, as in 1970, 2007 and 2015.

marathon recent
(WBZ graphic)

Only one thing is certain when planning to run Boston: Expect the unexpected.

marathon unusual
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So what will Mother Nature bring us this year for the 2018 Boston Marathon? While it is still early, there are a few things that we can count on. Monday will be unsettled, rainy and somewhat windy. Still to be determined - when the heavy rain arrives, how strong the winds will be and do we burst back into the warm air after a chilly Sunday? Clearly still a lot to sort out with regards to weather impacts for Boston 2018

Official Marathon Forecast:

2018 Marathon Forecast
(WBZ forecast)

Monday morning: Cloudy skies, pockets of light rain and drizzle, temperatures bottom out around 40 degrees at 7-8 a.m. (Hopkinton and Boston). Winds out of the east-southeast, fairly light, 5-10 mph.

Monday late morning/midday: Remains mainly cloudy with scattered light showers/drizzle. Warmer air is likely to surge northward in this timeframe, potentially pushing temperatures well into the 50s, perhaps even 60+ with a big surge. If that warm air surges in, winds will increase dramatically as well, blowing steadily 10-20 mph out of the south, gusting 30+ mph. There is still a chance that we could remain locked in the cooler air, that would mean the winds also stay low.

Related: How To Prepare For A Wet Boston Marathon

Monday afternoon: Heavy rain approaches from the west. . . exact timing to be determined. Safe to say, the later you plan on finishing, the better the chance that you might get poured on. Assuming that warm air makes it northward, temperatures would be in the 50s to low 60s with very gusty southerly winds (12-25 mph with gusts to 40 mph)

Planning on running or spectating? Please stay tuned to updated forecasts over the next several days as we iron out the finer details! Stick with WBZ-TV and CBSBoston.com

Follow Terry on Twitter @TerryWBZ

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