The weather roller coaster ride knocked away the bitter cold for a spring-like push of warm temperatures and heavy rain. With the jet stream rising north of the area, this allows mild and humid air to pull northeast from the Gulf of Mexico and the Southeast.

Both the temperatures and the humidity are unseasonable for this time of year. Friday’s highs will be comparable to an early April day. Friday’s record high is 68 degrees, but highs are only forecasted to reach 59.

This surge of moisture associated with this unseasonal weather pattern will produce heavy rain showers that move across the city. There will be a few waves of moderate-to-heavy downpours, and rainfall totals will be upwards 1-2 inches. The rain should begin after 10 p.m. Thursday and continue through Friday ending near noon on Saturday.

Flooding remains a big concern since snow melt, combined with the heavy rain, can produce excess puddling across urban areas, such as on street corners and in poor drainage zones. Motorists are advised to use caution.

The mild weather then ships away as cold weather will make a return Saturday afternoon. A breezy westerly-northwesterly wind blows through the city on Saturday to bring down temperatures. Next week starts off colder with temperatures expected to be in the 30s.