A few weeks ago, temperatures soared into the 60's for the first time this year. Everybody was alive, out and about, and spring was in the air. Within days, though, winter returned as temperatures plummeted into the 20's and 30's for high's once again behind a few cold fronts. A few rain and wind storms later, we're poised to take another shot at the warmest temperatures thus far this year. Later this weak, a large upper level ridge will briefly build into our area, allowing temperatures to reach above 60 on Thursday, and potentially towards the low 70's on Friday. We've got a quick rain event to get through early Wednesday, first, though. Rain is currently approaching our area from the southwest and will continue to do so through the morning. The bad news? The morning commute could be quite dreary. The good news? The rain should be over by the afternoon, allowing for some clearing and temperatures rising into the 50's. Featured image: 00z NAM model from the morning of March 16th, 2011 showing temperatures near or above 70 Friday afternoon.

Beyond this, as mentioned above, the weather improves for the end of the week. Thursday will feature partly cloudy skies with temperatures into the 60's. Friday is a bit more of a squeeze play, but it looks like we'll have enough time to warm up into the 60's to near 70 ahead of a thermal boundary which will eventually cool things down a bit for Saturday. So look forward to the spring weather, it's almost here!

Today (Wednesday): Mostly cloudy with rain likely early, then partly cloudy. High near 56. Winds east at 5 to 10 miles per hour, turning west at 3 to 6 miles per hour. Chance of precipitation is 100% before 10am, 50% before 2pm. 

Thursday: Partly cloudy and warmer, with highs near 62. Light southwest winds.

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Article by John Homenuk. Written March 16th, 2011 at 1:19am. Looking for a forecast? See New York Metro Weather's Long Range Forecast for the work week, or view our Technical Forecast Discussion for the more serious weather enthusiasts. Also, check out our new Forecast Overview tab. For up to the minute details on forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.