It may start out sunny and 75 in Massachusetts on Thursday morning, but don’t get too comfortable — “hazy skies” could roll in by the afternoon.
Temperatures started out in the upper 30s and mid- to upper 50s across the state on Thursday, National Weather Service forecasters said. These temps are expected to “rebound quickly with sunrise,” forecasters said.
The daytime is expected to be warm and dry with highs reaching the upper 70s in Massachusetts, especially in areas further from the shoreline and near the Connecticut border.
But by late afternoon, those clear skies could be taken over by smoke drifting from a massive wildfire in New Jersey.
No air quality alert has been issued for Massachusetts as of Thursday morning, and no adverse health issues from the smoke are expected for residents, said Weather Service forecaster Francis Tarasiewic.
However, an alert has been issued for parts of New York near the Connecticut border until 12 a.m. on Friday.
“The winds will be fairly light today, so smoke won’t be in a hurry to arrive,” said Tarasiewic.
“When it does get here, it’ll mainly be a hazy sky — but it won’t be anything like when we had those Canadian wildfire events and a lot of smoke a few years back,“ Tarasiewic said, referencing the orange skies seen in the summer of 2023 across the state.
As of Thursday morning, the New Jersey blaze was contained at 13,500 acres — which is a “really large wildland fire for the Northeast,” said Tarasiewic.
The smoke could linger in Massachusetts throughout the day on Friday, Tarasiewic said, but is expected to dissipate from incoming rain on Saturday. Some northern areas of the state could also see spotty showers come early on Thursday evening.
Temperatures are expected to drop down to the 40s and 50s overnight on Thursday, forecasters said, but could jump all the way back to the lower 80s after the sun rises on Friday.
The next chance for widespread rain will be Saturday, when storms are projected to start in the morning and bring thunder and up to a quarter inch of precipitation through the day, forecasters said.
The smoke from earlier in the week is expected to dissipate from the rain and 35 mph wind gusts, Tarasiewic said, and temperatures should stay in the 60s.
Massachusetts could see a small cooldown with temps in the 50s come Sunday, forecasters said.
