RI Weather Outlook: First Freezing Temps To Hit RI This Week

Ready for a wild ride this week? Temperatures today will hit 70 degrees as potential afternoon storms roll through. Fast forward to Saturday, when there will be clear sunny skies ... and many towns will dip into freezing temperatures for the first time in more than 200 days.

First, the rain. The window is roughly between 3-6 p.m. You can view an estimated timeline via the National Weather Service at the bottom of this story. The rain won't be anything like last week's storm, but there is the possibility of thunder rumbling and a particularly sluggish evening commute home.

Today's warm temperatures won't last long. Day temperatures will be in the 50s the rest of the week until Saturday morning, when most every town is expected to drop below freezing.

Today's warm weather is welcome, but its sustainability this time of year is very rare. It's a lock to be above freezing today, meaning it will be the longest stretch of above-freezing temperatures on record in Worcester and tied for such a mark in Boston. Rhode Island records weren't immediately available via the NWS.

The last time it was freezing in Worcester was April 3, which was 217 days ago, and currently ties a record set in 1916. The last time it was freezing in Boston was April 30, which was 200 days ago. That is one day shy of the mark set in 1968. Records go back to 1892.

The return to freezing begs the question: When to expect to the first inch of snow this winter? The average date in Providence is Dec. 12, while the earliest date is Oct. 26 in 1962. But that doesn't mean November can't bring the white stuff: In 1989 Providence saw a November record 8 inches of snow.