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Boston Globe
01-04-2025
- Climate
- Boston Globe
April can spring some weather surprises on New England, but mainly it's equal showers and warmer days
The official forecast from NOAA this year calls for equal chances of above or below-average temperatures and precipitation. Often when we sit in the middle like that, we typically end up with an average month. In other words, not excessively wet or dry and not too cold or warm. This doesn't mean we couldn't see a few days of any of that type of weather; it's just that the odds favor a less extreme April. The forecast calls for equal chances of above or below-average temperatures for April. Boston Globe Advertisement April may bring average precipitation across New England with more rain across the middle part of the country. Boston Globe One thing that is consistent in April is the inconsistency. During this spring month, we have seen temperatures as hot as the mid-90s - as recently as 2009, it reached 93 degrees on April 28. And there's the famous 94-degree reading in 1976 that hit just before the Boston Marathon that year. On the opposite spectrum, Boston experienced a cold 16 degrees during the second biggest April snowstorm back in 1982, and in 2016, it reached 22 degrees on April 4. The years 1999 and 2001 saw just under nine-tenths of an inch of precipitation for the entire month, while 2004 had over 9½ inches for an abundance of April showers. Advertisement Snow in April? Of course, there has been snow in April: Most famously, the Since then, there have been Aprils with some snow, but with the warming climate, snow in April is becoming less and less likely. Although, it's not out of the question. Kids sled down Garden Street in Beacon Hill after the April Fool's Blizzard of 1997. RYAN, David L. GLOBE STAFF Glorious daylight We gain an hour and 15 minutes of Once we get past the threat of a hard freeze, if you move your house plants outside, it's a good idea to put them in the morning sun for a few days before exposing them to the strengthening ultraviolet rays. If you're looking to get some color in the ground during April, there are hardy annuals that you can plant. Pansies, of course, are one of the ubiquitous flowers this time of year. Alyssum, violas, and snapdragons can also handle the chill of spring. Advertisement Thoughts turn to flowers and gardening with the arrival of April. Dave Epstein The
Boston Globe
26-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Greater Boston home buyer hot spots
Ally Rzesa/GLOBE STAFF Advertisement The median sales price for a Lexington home was $2.9 million in February, Malkhasian also said in this post-COVID era, Hyde Park ($600,000) and West Roxbury ($825,000) are popular places for buyers who want something closer to the city, but wish to have a backyard. Dave Twombly is the principal broker/owner of Cambridge — where 14 homes sold in February at a median price of close to $2.5 million — is always a draw for those who can afford to live there. Single-family homes are hard to come by in Cambridge. Erin Clark/Globe Staff 'In the dead of last winter, I had clients in my neighborhood make an offer on a single-family home for close to $300,000 over asking, and they got beat out by another buyer because it was a single-family house in Cambridge,' he said. Many Cambridge buyers are committed to living in that city and will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to buy a home there. Other communities just aren't like that, he said. Advertisement And the surge of the spring house hunt hasn't even begun yet. North of Boston Malkhasian said Melrose ($771,000) is a very hot community. It's got proximity to Boston, commuter rail, good schools, and a low crime rate. But on the day she spoke to the Globe, there were only four single-family homes for sale. 'The communities where inventory [are] very low is where you're going to see the crazy bidding wars and the waiving of all contingencies,' she said. 'We're even getting properties where buyers are obtaining a mortgage but are waiving their mortgage contingency [a clause giving the buyer the right to back out of the contract and have their deposit returned if they can't secure a mortgage] in an effort to compete with cash offers.' Homes in Melrose are quickly snapped up, but there are not many on the market. Surette Media Group Rich Rosa, cofounder and co-owner of Kevin Sexton of Reading ($951,600) has overtaken Melrose in desirability because it provides more land at a better value. 'People come to Reading from places like Cambridge, Winchester, and Arlington,' Sexton said. 'If they feel priced out of Reading, they used to go to Andover ($795,000), but since COVID, prices there have gone through the roof. If they can't afford Reading, they move out to Wilmington ($675,000) and even Tewksbury ($725,000). Houses in Reading and Wilmington still regularly sell for over the asking price.' Advertisement South of Boston Hillary Birch is with Quincy is a popular South Shore destination because of access to restaurants and the Red Line T station. Handout 'The first group is looking at Quincy ($650,000), Milton ($845,000), and Braintree ($654,000), but predominantly Quincy, she said. 'They still want access to restaurants and the Red Line T station. The second group is OK with being a little farther from the city and is usually looking in Norwell ($992,500), Hanover ($645,000), and if they can afford it, Hingham ($1.4 million).' But that hasn't always been the case. 'Quincy has gotten more expensive in recent years,' she said. 'If your budget is, say, $800,000, you can get a little bit more house in a nice town like Hanover than you can Quincy. The development that's happened in Quincy has elevated pricing. And people who fled the city during COVID and moved to somewhere like Plymouth, they're coming back.' West of Boston David Bates of Arlington ($1.2 million) and Needham ($1.6 million) are two popular buyer destinations west of Boston. And the numbers tell the story. Once listed for sale, single-family homes in Arlington are sold quickly. Matthew McNamara/Media by Domino 'In Arlington, the median sale price to list price ratio in 2024 was 104.25 percent,' he said. 'In 2023 it was 103.45 percent, which is very good. The median number of days to offer on sold properties was just six. It's practically impossible to get lower — kind of like it's impossible to have 100 percent employment. Advertisement Bates said there is reason to think there is even more room for growth. 'Arlington home prices could get a bump from new Cambridge zoning, which eliminates single-family zones,' he said. 'Arlington also borders other very good markets, like Cambridge, Winchester, and Medford. It is ahead of the game in 'In 2024, the median sale price of a single-family home in Needham was up $205,000 from 2023 according to MLS data, and was 101.3 percent of the asking price,' he said. 'There's great schools, new construction for sale, commuter rail access, and it borders some prestigious markets, like Wellesley, Newton, and Dover.' Jim Morrison can be reached at . Follow him on X .
Boston Globe
29-01-2025
- Climate
- Boston Globe
Born in Maine, trained in climate chaos
Much of the reason for the extreme fluctuations we experience is due to geography. In Massachusetts, we have areas close to the ocean, others that are farther away, places with deep valleys, and cities like Worcester Advertisement Spring Uniformly, it is likely more people anticipate spring than any other season. My guess is it also disappoints the most as well. Meteorologically, spring arrives March 1, and astronomically, it gets here three weeks later. If your idea of spring is sunshine with temperatures in the 60s, you're going to be really disappointed living around here. Ocean temperatures are near their minimums in March, and that cold pool of Atlantic water influences our Lenten season. To embrace spring is to notice the light increasing, surpassing 12 hours in the middle of March and nearing 15 by the end of May. March can bring snow and cold, but it can also usher in unusual heat. Keep the winter tools close at hand, and don't be ruffled if you're shoveling one day, cursing the weather gods, and heading to the beach the next. Advertisement People were sledding in Beacon Hill after a blizzard pummeled the area on April 1 in 1997. It had been sunny and in the 60s the day before. RYAN, David L. GLOBE STAFF Spring can also bring longer bouts of drizzle, clouds, and raw temperatures, which feel like you can't even warm up. In this type of weather, the crocuses last a little longer, the daffodils shine with small droplets of moisture, and the birds are singing up a storm, from an early March crescendo into a cacophony of music throughout May. Sea breezes are a hallmark of this part of the country. From Gloucester through Lynn into the city of Boston, south to Scituate and Marshfield, and onto Cape Cod, temperatures can struggle out of the 50s on an April day, while inland areas along Interstate 128 westward to Route 495 and to the southwest can enjoy temperatures in the 70s and even near 80 degrees. While you may curse the sea breeze in April, you'll rejoice for it in July. The Boston Marathon takes place on Patriots Day, and weather is big business for the race and can mean the difference between slogging in a sweat or dashing in dampness. Summer Over the past 30 years, our summers have continued to grow warmer. A season in which air conditioning was more of a luxury in the middle of the 20th century is now a necessity. Afternoon temperatures are routinely in the 80s or higher for much of July and August, but it's the nights that have really warmed up. The humidity can be oppressive, keeping midnight temperatures over 70 degrees and making it difficult to sleep. Advertisement The good news? The ocean remains chilly for the first half of summer but warms to comfortable swimming levels throughout July, warmth that can linger past Labor Day. QUINCY - Beach-goers flocked to Wollaston Beach during a heat wave last June. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Whereas rainy days can be a staple of the spring, summer precipitation comes in the form of showers and scattered thunderstorms. As these make their way toward the Atlantic, they often fall apart quickly, with the stability of the Atlantic air eroding the moisture and lift so necessary in warm season precipitation. If you are a gardener, be prepared to get out the hoses, and in a wet summer, fungus will abound. Some of these thunderstorms can become quite severe, and while not common, a tornado or two spins up somewhere in the area in most years. Extreme heat can also be a part of summer, with the mercury reaching the century mark as it has done 27 times in Boston. The highest ever, 104 degrees, was set on July 4, 1911. Perhaps it's the reason why the saying 'as hot as the fourth of July' came about. That summer was a scoahchah , with four days of 100-degree weather in just over a week. The hottest corridor of Massachusetts stretches from the Merrimack Valley down to the southwest suburbs of Boston. This area runs north through Manchester and Concord in New Hampshire and then into the western part of Cumberland and York counties in Maine. The summer heat and humidity do eventually break — sometimes just for a couple of days — but by September the chances of heat and humidity start to diminish. Autumn F. Scott Fitzgerald may have been talking about New England when he wrote in 'The Great Gatsby' that, 'Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.' If you polled folks on what their favorite season is, I surmise that many would say autumn, with September leading the list. Advertisement SALEM - A nonnative bald cypress provided the last of fall foliage color at Greenlawn Cemetery in October 2023. Lane Turner/Globe Staff The ninth month means windows are open, there is less humidity, and shadows are longer; yet don't be surprised if you get a beach day, too. An early morning walk might require a light jacket, but shorts can be donned most afternoons. If you live on the coast, an ever-present eye to the tropics is warranted this time of year. Although the last hurricane to reach New England hit in late August, perhaps the most famous storm came on shore across Connecticut as a Category 3 on Sept. 21, 1938, dropping trees like matchsticks and flooding Narragansett Bay with a storm surge of 12 to 15 feet. The storm submerged downtown Providence with nearly 20 feet of water. Falmouth and New Bedford had about 8. Hurricanes are rare in this part of the world but should not be discounted, as we are long overdue. The second half of autumn turns colder, and by Halloween, there's already a slight risk of snow. Thanksgiving brings the start of 'stick season,' with more clouds and precipitation, mostly in the form of rain. There is a gloominess to the decreasing light and early sunsets, but November can also be beautiful, with the crunch of leaves underfoot and a crispness in the air, a warm fire, and the comfort of bulkier sweaters to hide the results of your holiday feasting. Winter It's perhaps the least-liked season, although it's one I love. Advertisement There's high variability, and it's the toughest one for forecasters. A slight wobble in a storm track can mean the difference between a major snowstorm and rain. Even a forecast of a plowable storm can result in just a few flurries. Stay tuned to the latest predictions, and expect them to change day to day and sometimes in just a few hours. Christmas is notoriously disappointing for folks wanting the ground to be white, with more than three-quarters of the years showing bare ground, not sleigh-ready surfaces for Santa. Daylight reaches its absolute minimum in the middle of December, although in a ray of hope for those suffering from seasonal affective disorder, the sunsets actually start getting a little bit later by the ninth of December. But the morning darkness continues to grow until early January. Bird feeders help to liven up the doldrums of winter. If it's cold enough, the ice can grow to multiple inches thick and allow for pond skating. Winter walks in the afternoon in late January and February can still be taken up to and even past 5 p.m. Just after Valentine's Day, you'll begin to hear the morning sounds of singing birds seeking out a mate with the hopeful promise of another spring. Send comments to .
