Is winter over? Boston sets new record high temperature Tuesday

There will be several towns in Massachusetts topping 70 degrees Tuesday, and a new record was set in Boston.

Boston got to 73 degrees just before 2 p.m., passing the prior record of 71 set way back in 1978. By Tuesday evening, the temperature reached 75 degrees in the city. 

Worcester also hit a high temperature record Tuesday, passing the 2020 mark of 67 degrees and climbing to 70 degrees by the afternoon.

This was the first 70 degree day in Boston since October.

Temperatures peaked at 68 in Boston Monday, nowhere near a record (77 back in 2016), but it was the first time the city topped the 60-degree mark in 2026. 

The last time it was this warm in the city was October 19. Our last 60-degree day in Boston was on November 26, that was 105 days ago, the longest stretch between 60-degree days since 2014-2015.

On Tuesday, we got even higher. particularly along and north of the Massachusetts Turnpike and across the Merrimack Valley.

Seventy degrees early in March is somewhat rare. Our average first 70+ day in Boston is April 7 and last year it took until April 19.

Is winter over?

A question that WBZ Executive Weather Producer Terry Eliasen fielded more than once Monday: Is winter over?

His answer: Let's not get too ahead of ourselves after one warm day.

Temperatures later this week and beyond look to be near the average, give or take a few degrees.

We will probably have a few more bouts of cold, but cold shots in March are a lot different than January or February.

Will there be more snow in Boston?

It is also likely that we will see some additional snow.

Our average last measurable snowfall in Boston is March 29.

In nearly 150 years of record keeping, Boston has recorded no measurable snow after March 10 only 12 times (including last year).

Granted, snow amounts after today's date are typically meager, but just look at 2016 (10.2"), 2017 (11.2"), and 2018 (17.6").

So, it's too early to stick a fork in winter in Boston on March 9.