MASSACHUSETTS — After a brief cooldown over the weekend, get ready for temperatures to soar later this week.

Temperatures may reach into the 90s or high 80s starting Thursday, according to the National Weather Service — a swing that will also bring the possibility of thunderstorms on Friday afternoon. And not to be missed, the forecast is also calling for high humidity, making the heat slightly less bearable.

“Mainly dry this week outside of isolated spot showers Tuesday and Wednesday. Temperatures begin warming into the 80s and even 90s by Thursday and Friday. A cold front could bring scattered showers and thunderstorms Friday,” the weather service said in a tweet Sunday evening.

But until then, Massachusetts will be in for a pretty nice few days, with temperatures in the mid to upper 70s and sun. Watch for some scattered showers on Tuesday afternoon, however.

Early forecasts this week indicate that pattern will return by Saturday after the heat on Thursday and Friday, according to the forecast.

BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced in federal court for illegally transporting dozens of firearms from Alabama into Massachusetts. 

            According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 26-year-old Jahquel Pringle was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In February 2024, Pringle pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to illegally transport firearms; two counts of illegal transportation or receipt in state of residency of firearm purchased or acquired outside of state of residency; and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Pringle was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2022 along with co-defendants Brandon Moore, Jarmori Brown and Kobe Smith.

            Pringle, Brown, Moore and Smith conspired to obtain at least 24 firearms from Alabama, where Moore lived, and then transport them to Boston. In two separate trips in July and August 2020, Pringle traveled from Boston to Alabama on a commercial bus to pick up the firearms from Moore and then transported the firearms, concealed within luggage, back to Boston by bus. At least seven of the firearms have been recovered from the streets of Boston and surrounding communities. Pringle was captured on video firing one of the firearms in Alabama. Pringle is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction.

            In July 2023, Brown was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to his role in the conspiracy. Moore’s case was transferred to the Middle District of Alabama where he has since pleaded guilty. Smith pleaded guilty in March 2024 and will be sentenced on June 12, 2024.            

            Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division, made the announcement. This case was prosecuted by the Major Crimes Unit.

Federal emergency response coordinators said they handed out more than $3.5 million in disaster aid to residents after storms left roads and homes damaged last fall in Bristol and Worcester counties, according to newly released data.