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'In Like A Lion': March Weather Brings Drastic Swing In Temperatures This Week

BOSTON (CBS) -- "In Like A Lion, Out Like a Lamb?" March in Boston can have some big twists and turns.

It will feel like the middle of winter Tuesday morning as a blast of arctic air will dive into New England. There is a chance Boston could see one of its largest 24-hour March temperature swings on record, as a small piece of the polar vortex breaks off and heads in our direction Tuesday. The good news is that this bitter cold air doesn't hang around long, we recover quite quickly with a return to nearly 50 degrees by Wednesday. So if the rest of the month is anything like the start… it's going to be a rollercoaster ride.

thumbnail_2021 MARCH 24HR TEMP DROPS
(WBZ-TV Graphic)

WIND

Strong northwest winds peak into late Tuesday morning. Gusts 45 to 55 mph have led to pockets of minor damage and scattered power outages. There is a wind advisory for the entire state continuing through 1 p.m. Tuesday.

TEMPS

Stepping outside Tuesday will be cold with readings in the single digits and teens at the coast. Keep in mind, wind chill values will be subzero in the morning. Despite sunshine on Tuesday feels like conditions will be in the single digits and teens by the afternoon with highs in the upper 20s to low 30s. Temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal for early March standards.

thumbnail_7 am wind chill
(WBZ-TV Graphic)

ONE DAY COLD BLAST

One thing to keep in mind is that this shot of arctic air will be brief! Temperatures recover nicely into the 40s on Wednesday with a slight cool down by Friday into the weekend. Right now, the weather looks relatively quiet (more like a lamb) for the second half of the week… but there are some indications of a developing ocean storm over the weekend. We'll have to see how close it gets to have any type of impact.

thumbnail_2020 High Temperatures Bar Chart Next 6 Half (1)
(WBZ-TV Graphic)

So overall what can the month of March bring in Boston? A whole lot of anything and everything! The temperature has reached as high as 89 degrees and as low as -8! Typically temperatures start off in the lower 40s and by the end of the month temps near 50 degrees are more common. While we didn't get any snowfall last March, typically Boston receives about 9" of snowfall for the month. The good news is we spring forward this month with sunsets starting off around 5:30 PM at the start of the month to just after 7 PM by the end.

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