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Weather week: A ‘very seasonable’ Earth Day, possible rain midweek

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Weather week: A ‘very seasonable’ Earth Day, possible rain midweek


The Massachusetts region is setting to mostly dry out and hit a late frost advisory before settling into seasonably warm highs heading into Earth Day, the National Weather Service forecasted.

“It’s going to be very seasonable, very normal for late April,” said Rob Megnia, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Boston office. “It will be dry for most of the week, with the exception of Wednesday. We are expecting some likely widespread showers, but not an impressive precipitation event.”

In Boston, the highs for the week will range in the upper 50s and low 60s through Wednesday, NWS forecasts, before dropping a little to low 50s on Thursday.

Much of Southeast Massachusetts, Cape Cod and Rhode Island, areas that don’t typically get frost this late in the year, will fall under a frost advisory Sunday night into Monday, Megnia said. The frost advisory will remain for the region until 7 a.m. Monday as temperatures dip as low as 34 degrees through the night, potentially harming “sensitive outdoor vegetation,” the NWS advisory notes.

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“We haven’t started issuing those for interior Northwestern Mass yet because it’s still common to get frost at this point in the year,” Megnia said.

Earth Day is set to be a mostly sunny beautiful day, with a high of 62 degrees — perfect for people looking to get outside and find activities to enjoy the environmental holiday.

Temperatures are down a bit from the “well above normal” highs early last week — reaching 70 degrees on the Boston Marathon race day — and continuing a trend closer to climatological averages, Megnia said.

After the bout of weekend rain, skies look set to remain mostly clear and sunny for the first half of the week.

Wednesday looks to be the exception, predicted to be a “wet, rainy day for most of southern New England including Boston” in the middle of a mostly dry week, Megnia said.

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“Then Wednesday night as that system producing the rain exits, we may have a brief period of some gusty northwest winds maybe up to 30 miles per hour,” Megnia said. “But that’ll be followed by rapid clearing and sunny dry weather heading into the weekend.”

 



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Here’s how to enter for a chance at a low-number Mass. license plate

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Here’s how to enter for a chance at a low-number Mass. license plate


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The annual lottery is for standard white Massachusetts passenger license plates.

A man walks to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles office in Lawrence, Mass. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles announced on Monday it is now taking applications for the 2026 Annual Low Number Plate Lottery.

The annual lottery is for standard white Massachusetts passenger license plates. Winners and alternate winners will be selected using an electronic random number generator and notified by mail no later than Sept. 15.

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To be eligible, an applicant must be a current Massachusetts resident with an active, state registered and insured passenger motor vehicle. They must also have a state-issued driver’s license or ID in good standing.

You can apply through Aug. 14 at the myRMV Online Service Center.

While there’s no cost to enter, “applicants selected in the lottery will be required to pay the special plate fee in addition to the applicable standard vehicle registration fee,” the RMV said.

Commercial vehicles and motorcycles will not be accepted as applicants. MassDOT workers and contract employees and their immediate family members are ineligible to participate, the RMV said.

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Two men indicted for Hinsdale robbery after ‘cigarette trail’ leads through Vermont, Massachusetts

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Two men indicted for Hinsdale robbery after ‘cigarette trail’ leads through Vermont, Massachusetts


HINSDALE, N.H. (ABC22/FOX44) – Two men from Massachusetts have been indicted after they allegedly stole more than $200,000 in cigarettes and fled in a stolen U-Haul van before setting it on fire.

According to court documents, the men robbed the T-Bird Mini Mart on Brattleboro Road in Hinsdale, New Hampshire back on March 15. They then allegedly drove the U-Haul north into Brattleboro, Vermont before heading south on Interstate 91 down in Massachusetts.

Cartons of cigarettes reportedly fell from the back of the van as it drove through Brattleboro, which were estimated to be worth more than $50,000. The “trail of cigarettes” was reportedly used by investigators examining surveillance footage to track the path of the van leading up to the arrest of two suspects last week.

Surveillance footage purported to show the stolen van, at right, and cartons of cigarettes that fell in Brattleboro, Vermont. (Courtesy: USAO New Hampshire District)

Richard Conner, 64, of Greenfield, Massachusetts, and James Ferguson, 66, of Worcester, Massachusetts, were arrested on Friday.

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According to court documents, Ferguson was also seen on camera earlier in March stealing the U-Haul van in Northampton, Massachusetts.

A man identified by investigators as Richard Ferguson in March 1, 2026 surveillance footage. (Courtesy: USAO New Hampshire District)

The two men now face federal charges under the Hobbs Act and, if convicted, could spend up to 20 years in prison.



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Massachusetts opens 24 swimming pools for summer season

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Massachusetts opens 24 swimming pools for summer season


BOSTON (WWLP) – The Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation announced the opening of 24 swimming pools for the summer season across the state.

This initiative includes the return of its free Learn to Swim Program for children and expanded lifeguard services at 30 DCR swimming areas. Registration for the free swimming lessons begins on Monday, June 22, providing children between the ages of 4 and 12 the opportunity to learn life-saving skills.

The DCR’s efforts aim to provide residents, visitors and families with safe places to swim and cool off during the summer. This commitment to water safety is supported by extending lifeguard coverage to seven days a week, which began last Saturday, running from 10:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., though continued coverage is subject to staff availability.

DCR Commissioner Nicole LaChapelle emphasized the importance of aquatic education. “Every child deserves the opportunity to learn how to swim. Swimming is more than a summer activity –it’s a life-saving skill that helps children safely enjoy our pools, lakes and beaches with confidence,” LaChapelle said. “By offering free swimming lessons at pools across Massachusetts, we’re helping remove barriers for families while helping more children safely enjoy the outdoor spaces that belong to all of us.”

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The Learn to Swim Program will be offered at 19 DCR pools throughout Massachusetts and is structured into three sessions during the summer. Each session consists of eight half-hour group swim classes tailored for beginner-level swimmers and organized by age.

The curriculum for the classes is based on the American Red Cross and focuses on water safety and basic swimming skills. Registration is required and will operate on a first-come, first-served basis, closing once classes at each facility are full.

Participating DCR pools for the program are located in Agawam, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Chicopee, Clinton, Fall River, Fitchburg, Hyde Park, Lawrence, Malden, Melrose, Milford, Somerville, Springfield, Watertown and Worcester.

The DCR is also actively recruiting certified lifeguards for its beaches and swimming pools for the current summer season. Positions are available through Labor Day and offer competitive hourly wages ranging from $22 to $27, depending on the position and associated certifications. More information about lifeguarding opportunities and application details are available on the agency’s lifeguarding webpage.

Beyond lifeguard services, the DCR maintains water safety at its state beaches and waterfronts through regular water quality testing at all 79 designated swimming areas. These areas are equipped with ropes and buoys to delineate swimming sections. Safety signage, which can be translated into nine languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese and Traditional Chinese via a QR code, is also present.

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To enhance safety, life rings are available for public use at both guarded and unguarded swimming areas in case of an emergency. All DCR swimming pools are equipped with chair lifts to provide water access. Several pools also feature ramps or zero-depth entry and select pools and spray decks offer beach wheelchairs for use.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WWLP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WWLP staff before being published.

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