Connecticut Weather: Hour-By-Hour Nor'easter Forecast

How do sunny skies with temperatures near 80 sound? Yes, Connecticut, we are going to get there quite soon, but first we have to make it through a dreary Mother's Day weekend weather-wise.

Today will be the worst of it. Rain has already begun in far western parts of Connecticut and it likely won't stop falling until early Sunday morning, the National Weather Service says. Wind gusts of 25-35 mph are expected Saturday afternoon and night. Connecticut will also see scattered showers on Mother's Day during the afternoon hours, but nothing like the soaking rain we're expected to receive tonight. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

A total of 1-2 inches of rain is likely by Sunday morning, the National Weather Service is predicting. But WTNH News 8 meteorologists said in a Saturday update that the rain may not be as heavy as once predicted and one computer model is now predicting anywhere from a half inch to 1.5 inches of rain. Connecticut will see showers during the day today and the heaviest rain falls after 8 p.m. and tapers off around daybreak Sunday.

“Mother’s Day looks very cool and unsettled early with a few showers and highs in the 50s. It will not be close to an all-day washout, but keep the umbrella handy. We’re heading for a warm-up by the middle of next work week!,” according to WTNH News 8.

WFSB 3 TV Meteorologists say models are disagreeing on how much rain we may receive. They’re still precicting 1-2 inches of rain but “The European Model is actually going a little lighter, but is still forecasting a decent rainfall of 0.75” to 1.5"."

“Rain will become steadier in the afternoon then it will be heavy at times Saturday evening,” WFSB 3 TV wrote. “We’ll get a good drenching Saturday night and it will be quite breezy.”

NBC Connecticut says rain should cover the western to middle part of the state by 12 p.m. today and it may take until 5 p.m. for the far eastern portions of the state to see a steady rain. The good news is that the rain will be light in the early afternoon before it really picks up after dark.

NBC Connecticut Meteorologist Darren Sweeney wrote, "We're timing out the heavy rain. -Dry this morning central, east, some sct'd showers west -Noon, afternoon, light rain develops, steadier and heavier toward dinner time. - Heavy overnight rain (1-3" of rain) - Rain wraps Sunday morning. The ENTIRE weekend WILL NOT be a washout. In fact, some brightening to the skies Sunday afternoon. That's the silver lining here."

NBC Connecticut Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan said Saturday morning that "Rain arriving on schedule today - with heavy rain by this evening. Tomorrow isn't looking half bad. Rain tapers off early in the morning and we get a decent period of dry weather (10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or so) with a rising chance for showers - and even a thunderstorm - after that."

Temperatures will continue to run below normal on Saturday and Sunday with plenty of cloud cover. Things will begin to warm on Monday, with highs by Wednesday and Thursday approaching 80 degrees.

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Here's the hour-by-hour forecast for the storm via the National Weather Service:

9 a.m.: 50 percent chance of rain up until 12 p.m.

12 p.m. until 3 p.m.: 75 percent chance of rain

3 p.m. up until midnight: 100 percent chance of rain

12 a.m. until 3 a.m.: 80 percent chance of rain

3 a.m. until 6 a.m.: 65 percent chance of rain

After 6 a.m. and until noon Sunday: Approximately a 30 percent chance of rain showers

After 12 p.m. until 9 p.m. Sunday: 25-35 percent chance of rain showers during the afternoon and evening.

Temperatures will be very steady today around 52 degrees during the morning and afternoon. The temps hold around 50 degrees and drop to 45 degrees by 6 a.m.

By Sunday afternoon temps peak around 60 degrees. The National Weather Service is predicting more than a half inch of rain between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. today and an inch of rain is forecast between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Sunday. From 3 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunday, we could see another quarter of an inch of rain and during the day on Sunday another tenth of an inch of rain or so from the sporadic rain showers.

Patch Editor Ryan Bonner contributed to this story.