2024 Election Day could be Massachusetts’ warmest in over 20 years

Of all the things voters have to worry about on Election Day, bad weather won’t be one for those in Massachusetts.

Forecasters predict Nov. 5, 2024 to be the warmest Election Day on record in the Commonwealth since the turn of the millennium, said Matthew Belk from the National Weather Service.

Boston and Springfield are expected to reach a high of 72 degrees on Tuesday, while Worcester should warm up to 69 degrees.

It hasn’t been this warm on an election day in Massachusetts in the past seven election cycles since former President Barack Obama first won on Nov. 4, 2008.

It was 66 degrees in Boston that day, with a low of 45 and no rain, Belk said.

The coldest day voters stood in line for the polls since 2000 was on Nov. 6, 2012, when there was a high of 41 degrees and a low of 31. Bay State citizens also shivered during the last election in 2020, which was only slightly warmer at 43 degrees and a low of 32.

It was in the mid- to high-50s in 2000, 2004 and in 2016, the most mild election days in Massachusetts over the past 24 years.

• Read more: Mass. weather: More ‘unseasonable’ warmth on the way for Bay State

That being said, while you won‘t need your hat or gloves this year, the temperature on Tuesday is not the warmest it’s ever been during the first week of November in Massachusetts.

According to Belk, the hottest Nov. 5 since 1872 — the furthest back the National Weather Service has recorded weather in Boston — was 78 degrees in 1987, a non-presidential election year. The hottest day in the first week of November was marked during another off-year on Nov. 2, 1950 at 83 degrees.

The heat Tuesday precedes an even warmer day expected Wednesday, as more “unseasonable” temperatures roll in and the possibility of thermometers hitting 80.

• Read more: Massachusetts Election 2024: It’s Election Day, Mass. What you need to know

With the lack of rain, forecasters say Massachusetts remains at high risk for fire.

The state is under a Special Weather Statement on Tuesday warning of elevated fire risk given the “prolonged period of dry weather” and a “very dry ground.”

Brush fires jumped in Massachusetts in October, with more than 200 reported last month. The average number is 15, according to the Department of Fire Services.