Cooler, more seasonable temperatures will be with us over the next several days, but we’ll remain dry. A severe drought continues for much of the Boston area with only 2.24” of ran recorded since September 1^st, normally we see close to 7.50” during that same time frame.

Because of the dry conditions, there’s an Elevated Fire Risk today across all of southern New England, please use caution with outdoor ignition sources and outdoor burning is Not recommended, for example, campfires, firepits, etc.  Unfortunately, no significant precipitation is expected during the next 5-7 days, and we’ll likely continue to see brush fires cropping up from time to time.

A strong area of high pressure will provide us with a good amount of sunshine this afternoon with highs reaching the low to mid 50s, close to 25 degrees colder than yesterday’s record setting day.

Wind won’t be gusting like yesterday, but still make its presence known with a few gusts out of the northwest breaking 20mph at times, especially across the higher terrain.

Clear sky, a light wind, and low dewpoints will allow our temperatures to drop quickly overnight tonight with lows mostly in the 30s south,  a few 20s in the traditionally colder spots, and mainly in the 20s north. 

Don’t forget to set those clocks back an hour at 2am, its also a great time to change out your smoke and carbon monoxide batteries as well.

Sunday will feature plenty of sunshine and slightly cooler than average temperatures. Highs reach the low 50s south, 40s north with a light northerly wind. 

We’ll remain on the cool side right into Monday with more in the way of clouds, especially in the afternoon as a warm front approaches from the southwest, a stray shower possible mainly across northern New England late in the day into the overnight hours Monday. 

By Tuesday, a prominent southerly wind flow will help usher in warmer temperatures with highs approaching 70 degrees by the afternoon, even warmer Wednesday with highs expected to top out in the mid-70s!  A cold front cools us off by the end of the work week bringing us back to more seasonable temperatures.

Have a great afternoon!

New Hampshire gave a rousing reception to the “comeback kid” Friday.

Former President Bill Clinton reminisced about campaigns gone by in the Granite State while pivoting to the current 2024 election.

“I love New Hampshire,” said Clinton. “I’m not running for anything. Heck, I’m almost as old as Donald Trump. The thing I’m running for is the future of my grandchildren.”

The 42nd president is the latest in a slew of surrogates to stop in New Hampshire. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro made his way through on Wednesday.

Nina Jankowicz, whose former role as executive director of the Disinformation Governance Board led to threats against her and her family, has since cofounded the American Sunlight Project. She joins @Issue to talk about the need for people to think critically about the information they take in.

Republicans say they’re perplexed by the string of out-of-staters.

“This campaign is not about all the Washington insiders and swamp creatures, it’s about who’s better for New Hampshire,” said state GOP Chairman Chris Ager.

NBC10 Boston asked Ager if it would help for Trump, one of his family members or a top surrogate to visit the state.

“We’ve actually talked to the campaign, and we’ve said, ‘Our people are already highly motivated. They don’t need external celebrities to get them motivated,’” Ager said.

While they may not see eye-to-eye on much, both sides call this election critical for the country’s future.

“Are you better off now than four years ago? Very few people can say yes,” said Ager.

“Everything that you want for America is on the ballot,” said Clinton.

A Boston man was held without bail this week after he was accused of exposing himself to an underage girl who was visiting the city’s historic Granary Burying Ground with her family last July.

Wayne MacDonald, 65, was charged in Boston Municipal Court Wednesday with one count of open and gross lewdness, subsequent offense, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said. MacDonald has pleaded not guilty. 

The teen and her mother told police they were visiting the Granary Burying Ground shortly before 1 p.m. on July 25 when a man exposed himself to the girl, the DA’s office said. The mother confronted the man across the street from the cemetery, but he allegedly denied any wrongdoing and walked away.

The mother provided officers a description of the man, and Boston police tracked down video surveillance footage from nearby buildings and found him on tape, according to the DA’s office. Detectives circulated a bulletin, and officers in the Boston Police Sexual Offender Registry Unit allegedly identified the man as MacDonald. 

He was arrested earlier this week, the DA’s office said. 

In setting MacDonald’s bail, the court noted his “long history of similar offenses,” records show. According to the DA’s office, MacDonald is on probation until 2029 after serving a jail sentence for a 2023 open and gross lewdness conviction. He also has “numerous” similar charges on his record stretching back to 1992, the office said. 

Judge Joseph Griffin set MacDonald’s bail at $500 for the new charge and ordered him held without bail pending a Dec. 5 probation violation hearing, the DA’s office said. Boston.com has reached out to MacDonald’s lawyer for comment. 

“It’s unfortunate for any young person to have an experience like this, but I praise her and her mother for acting so responsibly in providing police with a description of the incident and the person responsible,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement. “That information, combined with solid detective work, helped bring this defendant forward to answer to the charges.”

Built in 1660, the Granary Burying Ground is the final resting place of Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, the five Boston Massacre victims, and several other notable figures from Boston’s earliest history.

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Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

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