Break out the picnic baskets, as record warm weather today will make it feel more like Memorial Day than early March. The jet stream is ridging way to our north, allowing a surface high pressure system to pump gobs of warm air our way. Look for temperature records to break all along the East Coast today and tomorrow. The record high for today in Central Park is 69 degrees set in 2000. That record will likely be toast sometime this afternoon as the temperature climbs into the mid 70s under hazy skies. Places near the shore might not get that warm as the wind passes over the cold ocean.
A cold front should arrive tomorrow evening, but not before the temperatures once again head toward the mid 70s. We'll should get really close to the record high of 74 degrees set ten years ago. Along with the front there will be a chance of rain, with the best chances occurring overnight.
Much colder air is expected for the weekend once the front passes and high pressure moves in from the north. In this case "much colder" is relative to the record mid-week heat. Friday's high will be in the mid 60s with Saturday being a degree or two cooler. That's still 15-20 degrees warmer than normal. Clouds move in on Sunday with a decent chance of rain expected on Monday.
