Today marks a day of transition in many ways.

To start, March 1 marks the first day of meteorological spring – essentially one of four evenly divided seasons that meteorologists use for stat keeping. We’ve still got about three weeks or so until astronomical spring arrives, however. You can read more about the difference between meteorological and astronomical seasons here.

The previous winter was the coldest since 2014-2015, with snow accumulation during those three months, the highest in five years. While it was snowy, we didn’t get much liquid – it was the driest winter season in terms of liquid equivalent precipitation since 1997.

Additionally, the valley has quickly transitioned from a dry, mild Saturday to a chilly and breezy Sunday. Today's high will only be around 30°, though mostly sunny skies will become common during the morning. A brisk northerly breeze will be noticeable through the afternoon, before subsiding tonight. Low temperatures overnight will bottom out in the teens.

An abundance of sunshine will carry us through a stellar day tomorrow. Temperatures will improve to seasonable levels – about 40° – with winds and precipitation not a factor. Unfortunately, clouds are expected to increase overnight, and we may be subjected to some light freezing rain, which could spoil viewing conditions for the lunar eclipse set to occur around 6 AM. Freezing rain will quickly transition to rain as temperatures increase overnight.

Plain rain will continue all day on Tuesday. High temperatures will again increase into the mid – 40s, with the rain becoming steadier at times. This rain will continue into the evening as temperatures will hold steady in the low 40s.

Thermometers will continue to pick up day by day as we go through the week. Highs on Wednesday will again improve to the mid-50s – about 15° above average. Showers are the expectation, especially on the outer thirds of the day, where dry conditions will be more possible around midday. Even more showers are likely overnight.

While high temperatures will only increase through the week, rain chances will stay stagnant and high. More showers are likely throughout the day on a breezy, balmy Thursday, where high temperatures could get up to 60° in most areas. The shower chance will continue overnight with low temperatures in the low to mid 50s.

Friday will likely be our warmest day of the seven-day forecast. A high temperature of 70° throughout the area could challenge a daily record set four years ago. Chances for showers are still there during the day, but they won’t be as high as in days past. We may have a sustained dry stretch overnight into Saturday, with temperatures in the mid-50s.

Heavier rain could impact our area during the first half of the weekend, though a dry trend is looking likely on the back half, with 60s holding on both days. Regardless, these temperatures and conditions are almost the exact opposite of what we’ve been accustomed to this winter.