Above Freezing Wednesday - Sunday

Good afternoon folks! We're off to a great start this week and we do not expect any rain to fall today through Friday! The models show a cold front dropping into the region over the weekend, producing a handful of showers late in the day Saturday, with coverage extending into Sunday. This is not a major deal and shouldn't preclude us from getting outside this weekend. For those who are suffering from the current low dewpoints, relief is on the way as moisture slowly increases ahead of the incoming front, with a noticeable change starting Wednesday. Southwesterly flow will take over late Tuesday and temps will respond, pushing into the upper 60's - low 70's each afternoon starting Tuesday, peaking on Saturday to the low - mid 70's! The normal temp range for mid March across the valleys is in the upper 50's, so this upcoming warm spell is very much above normal but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone complaining. Minus our chance for rain late Saturday into Sunday, it's a pretty boring forecast for the next 5 - 7 days, however the Climate Prediction Center is hinting at below normal temps for next week (March 15 - 21).

Sunshine sits overhead Tuesday and Wednesday with temps pushing into the mid - upper 60's Tuesday across the lower elevations, warming to the upper 60's - low 70's by Friday. Tuesday will unfortunately be another low humidity day but southwest flow takes over late in the day and this should translate to a more comfortable setup by Wednesday. While the valleys bask in the warmth this week, the ridgelines above 5800' follow suit, pushing into the low - mid 50's each afternoon; you might need a light jacket Thur - Sat as cloud cover increases. Although Tuesday and Wednesday will be sunny, high and thin clouds will stream across the region at times Thursday into Saturday, resulting in partly - mostly sunny skies. Overnight lows settle into the low - upper 30's Tuesday night under a handful of clouds, warming to the mid - upper 40's Friday night under partly cloudy skies. It looks like our last night of below freezing temps regionwide will be Tuesday night.

Passing clouds, periods of sunshine and a stray shower or two is what we'll see this weekend. Temps soar to the low - mid 70's on Saturday across the valleys, dropping to the low - mid 60's Sunday post frontal. As of now only a tenth - quarter inch of rain is expected over the weekend.

We'll stop here and circle back Wednesday morning, with minor tweaks to an otherwise boring and quiet forecast. ENJOY!