Buckle up, it’s time for some weather whiplash!

Temperatures surged into the 70s on Sunday, the fifth time thermometers got above the 70-degree mark this month.

As quickly as warm air filtered in yesterday, it will escape today. Showers and some heavier pockets of rain moved across the Valley in the morning, followed by a cold front. There will be a brief break in precipitation around midday, but temperatures will drop so low that some wet snowflakes may be possible later in the afternoon. A brief burst of steady snow is possible, especially for communities in Pennsylvania, later on in the afternoon, before we transition to a lake-enhanced snow setup, as chilly winds out of the northwest will flow over a recently thawed Lake Erie. Wind chills will drop from 50 at day’s start to single digits as we flip to Tuesday.

This lake-enhanced setup will continue through Tuesday. It will be shockingly chilly – high temperatures will only make it to the upper 20s, which could make it the coldest St. Patrick’s Day the Valley has experienced in half a century. Snow showers should taper close to midnight, as an incoming area of high pressure will make a lake-effect setup unfavorable. Snow accumulations, mainly on non-paved surfaces, could approach an inch or so.

We’ll warm up slightly on Wednesday – albeit still below average – with a low-end chance for some flurries in the afternoon. Cloudy skies will persist overnight, with the thermometers dropping to the low 30s.

Temperatures will bounce back up above average on Thursday, with rather uneventful conditions expected. We can’t completely rule out any rain showers.

The first day of spring starts on Friday! The Vernal Equinox, or when the Sun crosses over Earth's equator, will be marked with temperatures in the 50s, with another chance for nickel-and-dime type rain showers.

Similar conditions are expected as we open up the weekend, with an overall mild and calm trend for the second-to-last full weekend of March.