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Up and down start to March in the forecast

This week’s weather will resemble a ride on a rollercoaster.

At the start, temperatures will be mild, near 50 degrees for the high, with mid-60s by Wednesday. Then Wednesday night, a potent cold front arrives, dropping temperatures back to normal for this time of year, according to Aaron Tyburski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in State College.

The normal temperatures for late February and early March are 43 for the high and 23 for the low, so the start of the week will be a bit higher than normal, he said.

But with March arriving on Wednesday, the Williamsport area should start to climb out of the consistent cold weather patterns that are typical for January and February.

“You should start to see average temperatures and temperatures that climb quickly as March moves on,” he said.

Temperatures today will be near 50 degrees and 54 Tuesday, he said.

Meteorological spring arrives Wednesday, with temperatures peaking in the city in the upper-60s, but not record heat, accompanied by showers.

“Wednesday offers a good shot of rain,” he said. A storm system moving west of the state should throw plenty of moisture this way, he added.

After the rain, a cold front pushes through Wednesday night and continues Thursday through Saturday, with highs of 40 and lows in the mid-20s, he said.

While meteorological spring arrives Wednesday, the official start of spring, or the Spring Equinox, isn’t until 6:29 a.m. March 20.

Here’s the forecast:

As February comes to a close, mild temperatures should prevail today, with increasing clouds and a high near 51. Tonight the winds remain rather calm but there’s a slight chance of rain showers before 10 p.m. and then rain and some snow showers, with a low of 34.

Tuesday will be warmer, with a high near 56 and a 50 percent chance of rain of between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Rain chances increase to 60 percent Tuesday, but only a low of 47.

Thursday is expected to be one of the clearer days of the school and work week, with partly sunny conditions, and a high near 46.

Again, there’s a chance of snow showers at night, with a low dipping to 27. The chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

It dips down to colder than usual on Friday, with partly sunny conditions and a high of only 37 degrees, with a 30 percent chance of showers. It will be very cold Friday night, with a low around 20, according to the forecast.

The weekend should remain sunny but only reaching a high Saturday of 39 and a low that night of 29. Sunday also should be partly sunny, with a high warming to 54.

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