CT Weather: Warmup Begins Today, Storms Possible Thursday

It is so nice to say goodbye to April, a month that brought us a lot of cold, snow and rain. Who knows what May will be like, but the early signs are positive. Beginning this afternoon, we'll see the sun and the beginning of a major warmup across Connecticut that lasts through Saturday before we return to cooler temps once again.

The biggest concern between now and the weekend is the chance for a strong thunderstorm on Thursday evening, reports NBC Connecticut's Ryan Hanrahan. According to the National Weather Service, "A dry and warmer weather pattern will begin to take place today, with temperatures climbing through the middle of the week. Plenty of sunshine is expected both today and Wednesday. Temperatures today climb into the middle and upper 70s across the interior, with middle and upper 60s expected across eastern coastal locations."

"Temperatures are expected to climb even further on Wednesday and Thursday, especially for ... inland locations. Expected highs in the upper 70s and 80s. A few more clouds are expected by Thursday across interior sections. Temperatures will continue to average well above normal through Thursday."

And in case you wanted evidence on how bad the weather was in April here you go.

We'll have to keep a close eye on Thursday and the chance for our first big thunderstorm of the season.

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Here is the updated weather forecast for Southern Connecticut:

Today: A 20 percent chance of showers before 8am. Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 70. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 8 to 13 mph in the morning.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 51. West wind around 6 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 78. Southwest wind 7 to 14 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. Southwest wind around 11 mph.

Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Southwest wind 10 to 13 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75.

Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66.

Here is the updated weather forecast for Northern Connecticut:

Today: A slight chance of showers between 8am and 9am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 53. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 85. Southwest wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph.

Thursday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1pm and 3pm, then a chance of showers after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, then a slight chance of showers between 2am and 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday: A chance of showers after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Friday Night: A chance of showers before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 67.

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