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Weather Blog: Temperature Roller Coaster

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Early spring is often a transitional time for us here in Philadelphia - a battle between cold and warm, wet and dry. And this first week of spring is certainly living up to that battleground metaphor!

Over the next five days, we have a day with temperatures 15 degrees below normal, a day with 15 degrees above normal, a few days with lots of sun, a day with the chance for rain, and even perhaps some freezing rain and sleet for parts of the area. Never a straightforward forecast in mid-March!

The first things we'll have to deal with will be the blast of wintry winds that arrive tomorrow. It'll be a pleasant day to look at, but not pleasant to experience - highs will barely crack the 40-degree mark, but with winds gusting over 30 mph, the thermometer will only tell half the story.

It will feel no better than the mid 20's during the height of the afternoon. Then on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, temperatures will drop into the upper teens and low 20's across the area, meaning a hard freeze for our growing areas.

A warm front will lift through the area Friday, bringing a few scattered showers to the area midday - this could even mean some light freezing rain or sleet in our far northwestern areas. But behind the warm front, we'll enjoy a day with temperatures around 70 on Saturday, even despite more clouds than sunshine.

The warmth doesn't last either - we're right back to the 50's on Sunday with the chance for rain as our next system moves through.

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