Expect good weather for Memorial Day weekend cookouts, beach days

May 27, 2022

David Epstein

Eastham, MA - September 21: On September 21, 2021, it was the last day of summer as people enjoyed Nauset Light Beach in Eastham, MA, where the summer crowds have left for the season. A family walks past an umbrella planted on the beach. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The weather is generally going to cooperate for the entirety of Memorial Day weekend, bringing pleasant temperatures and little chance of daytime rain.

We will see abundant cloud cover on Friday, but the chance for showers is quite limited. There could be a couple of overnight showers before it's back to another mainly cloudy day Saturday.

You'll notice the humidity in the air is higher than it has been the past week. Temperatures will be approaching 80 on Friday and will stay in the 70s on Saturday. If you do get a shower or thunderstorm Saturday evening, it will end quickly, followed by clearing.

Showers are possible Friday evening through Saturday evening, but most of that time is likely to be dry, and the showers will miss some areas completely. This image shows total expected rainfall via the NAM model. (Courtesy COD Weather)

Sunday and Monday are undoubtedly the nicest days of the weekend. Sunshine will be with us for both days, along with lower humidity. It will be approaching 80 inland on Sunday but will stay near 70 over Cape Cod.

Sunday afternoon will feature lots of sunshine and highs around 80 degrees. (Courtesy NOAA)

High tide this weekend is in the late morning, and it's not a particularly high tide, meaning there will be plenty of beach space.

Monday is your best day to escape to the beach, with highs inland nearing 90 degrees, but staying in the mid-70s over Cape Cod and the outer tip of Cape Ann. Water temperatures this time of the year are generally in the 50s, perhaps approaching 60 degrees.

Tuesday is the final day of meteorological spring and this has been a very dry one. Unless we receive a tremendous amount of rain in a scattered thunderstorm Saturday, which is unlikely, this will go down as the driest spring since the mid-'60s. The lack of rain is the reason we are experiencing a drought.

Much of eastern southern New England is experiencing drought conditions. (Courtesy NOAA)

There's nothing you can do to make it rain, so in order to get your landscaping through these types of patterns, you just have to water adequately. This means being sure the soil does not become bone-dry. The best time to water is between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. I do not see any changes to the pattern ahead.

Weather