First day of spring brings warm temps, but don't put away that parka
PROVIDENCE − Wednesday marked the first full day of astronomical spring, and it felt like it – for a few hours anyway.
"We kick off the first full day of spring on a mild note, though it will be short-lived due to a robust cold front later on today," the National Weather Service said in its forecast discussion.
"Other than Wednesday, colder than normal temperatures will be featured each day, including this weekend. Normal high this time of year is 43 to 48 and normal low is 26-32," the weather service said on social media.
Below-normal temperatures expected
After temps plummeting into the 20s Wednesday night, Thursday's high should reach just 40 degrees with gusty winds making it feel even colder, and the temperature will fall again overnight, into the low 20s, the weather service says.
More: Spring is about to pop at Newport's Ballard Park, a former quarry turned wildlife preserve
Potential for wildfire increases Thursday
Those gusty winds, combined with low relative humidity, elevate chances of wildfires Thursday and possibly into Friday, according to the weather service. Expect winds of 35 to 50 mph Thursday and relative humidity around 20 to 35%, the weather service says.
On Friday, the wind looks lighter, but humidity will drop, the weather service says.
After a sunny Friday with a high near 44, Saturday should warm to about 50 degrees, but heavy rain is possible.
"The potential exists for heavy rainfall Saturday into Saturday evening with accumulating snow possible across interior northern (Massachusetts) at the start late Friday night," the weather service says.
More: Spring is here! What to know about the 2024 vernal equinox that brings on a new season
Don't put away the parka, even if you've broken out the sunscreen
Astronomical spring arrived at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday with the vernal equinox, but anyone who has lived in New England realizes that milestone is typically just an early April Fool's joke.
The Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency reminded us of that with a light-hearted Facebook post on the "12 seasons of New England" in which it characterized New England spring as "the only season where you need sunscreen and a parka in the same day."
The list of seasons in the agency's Facebook post includes "Fool's Spring," "Second Winter," "Spring of Deception" and "Actual Spring."
Hopefully, "Actual Spring" will arrive sometime before June.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI weather: Spring is here but we're still waiting for warm weather
