It’s Patriots Day in Massachusetts, and although the Marathon won’t be held until October, there’s still plenty going on today, and the weather should cooperate for the most part.

The day will start off with some sunshine and seasonably mild temperatures, but an upper-level disturbance will cross the Northeast today, allowing for some clouds, and probably a few showers, maybe even a thunderstorm, this afternoon. They shouldn’t be widespread, nor heavy, but given that we still have a significant rainfall deficit, every little bit helps. A cold front will move through on Tuesday, but with little fanfare aside from some clouds and possibly a shower or two. Ahead of it, temperatures will be quite mild, possibly topping 70 in some locations. That front will stall out near or just south of the South Coast Tuesday night, then lift back northward as a warm front on Wednesday as low pressure passes north and west of the region. With low pressure to our northwest, it’ll be quite mild again, but another cold front will approach from the west, producing another round of showers and thunderstorms.

Behind that front, high pressure builds in with much cooler conditions on Thursday and to a lesser extent on Friday. A few weak upper-level disturbances will also be moving through with some clouds at times, but little precipitation other than a stray shower. Next weekend looks unsettled, but the details are still a little fuzzy. A period of rain or showers and cool temperatures appears likely at some point, but will it be late Saturday and Saturday night as one model shows, or on Sunday as a different one indicates? We should have a better handle on that when we do our Weekend Outlook on Thursday.

Monday: Early sun, then clouds develop, with a few showers or thunderstorms possible in the afternoon. High 61-68, coolest along the coast.

Monday night: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 38-45.

Tuesday: A mix of sun and clouds, breezy, just a slight chance for a late-day shower. High 64-71.

Tuesday night: Partly cloudy. Low 41-48.

Wednesday: Becoming mostly cloudy and breezy with showers likely, possibly a thunderstorm, ending in the evening. High 59-66.

Thursday: Plenty of clouds with a slight chance for a shower, windy and much cooler. High 43-50.

Friday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine, breezy. High 53-60.

Saturday: Early sun, then clouds return with showers possible late in the day and at night. High 60-67.

Sunday: Cloudy with a chance of rain. High 53-60.

One of our colleagues called the current weather pattern a “quiet active pattern”, which is a very good way to describe the week ahead.

In the big picture, we’ve got an upper-level low pressure area in place for today into Tuesday before it moves out, but another one moves in for the end of the week and the start of the weekend. Looking a little closer, we’ve got some typical April weather, but since this is New England and not Florida, a lot of you probably won’t like it. Low pressure passes south of the region today into early Tuesday, with plenty of clouds around and a chilly east wind off the Atlantic. Some showers are possible, mainly today, but we’re not looking at widespread rainfall. Wednesday looks a little drier as high pressure tries to build in with some partial sunshine and mild temperatures.

The end of the week isn’t looking pretty at this point. As that second upper-level low pressure area moves eastward on Thursday, a low pressure area will likely spin up at the surface near the Mid-Atlantic coastline. As it gets caught up under the upper-level low, it will meander around near or just south of New England. The result will be chilly conditions, some gusty winds at times, and periods of rain from later Thursday into Saturday. But that’s not the entire story. With colder air aloft, we could see the rain change over to snow, with some accumulation in the higher terrain, such as the hills from northwestern Rhode Island into Worcester County and the Monadnocks of southwestern New Hampshire. Could we see snow mix in at lower elevations? Sure, it’s possibility, but accumulations aren’t likely (though not impossible). Remember, it was this same weekend last year (April 17-18), when we had a storm drop 3-6″ of snow on the hills, with up to an inch of snow across the rest of eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. We’ll obviously have a better handle on this situation when we do our Weekend Outlook on Thursday.

Once the system pulls away, conditions will slowly improve over the weekend as high pressure starts to build in.

Monday: Cloudy and breezy with a few showers possible. High 44-51.

Monday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 35-42.

Tuesday: Plenty of clouds with a few sunny breaks. High 52-59, cooler along the coast.

Tuesday night: Mostly cloudy. Low 37-44.

Wednesday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 54-61, cooler along the coast.

Thursday: Cloudy and breezy with showers developing, possibly changing to snow in the hills at night. High 49-56.

Friday: Windy with periods of rain, possibly mixed with snow at times, especially in the hills. High 35-42 north and west of Boston, 43-50 south of Boston.

Saturday: Cloudy with showers gradually ending. High 47-54.

Sunday: Partly sunny. High 54-61, cooler along the coast.

Much of this week will feature conditions that are fairly typical for April in New England. That’s good if you live away from the coastline. Near the coast? No so much.

The week starts off with low pressure off to the east slowly drifting southward. This will keep clouds in place across eastern New England with a few showers possible. We’ll also have northeast winds blowing off the still-chilly Atlantic, resulting in cool temperatures. The farther inland you head, the more likely you are to see sunshine and temperatures that are warmer than normal. Tuesday looks somewhat similar, but as the low pulls away, the small chance for showers we have today goes with it. High pressure then builds in for Wednesday through Friday with sunshine for much of the region along with seasonably mild temperatures.

Next weekend is where things get tricky again. High pressure will slide offshore on Friday as low pressure starts to approach from the southwest. For the weekend, there are some models that show the high remaining in place, keeping the region dry, but trending cooler. Other models have the rain from the system moving in, resulting in a damp and cool weekend. We’re going to lean on the dry side for now with the forecast, but obviously, the other scenario is just as plausible, so this is a low-confidence forecast. We should have a much better idea by the time we get to our weekend outlook on Thursday.

Monday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine, breezy, chance for a few showers along the coast. High 53-60, a little cooler along the coast.

Monday night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 35-42.

Tuesday: Partly sunny. High 52-59, a little cooler along the coast.

Tuesday night: Partly cloudy. Low 35-42.

Wednesday: A mix of sun and clouds. High 49-56 along the coast, 57-64 inland.

Thursday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 48-55 along the coast, 56-63 inland.

Friday: Partly to mostly sunny. High 49-56 along the coast, 57-64 inland.

Saturday: Mostly sunny. High 52-59, a little cooler along the coast.

Sunday: Sunshine and a few clouds. High 51-58, a little cooler along the coast.

While there will be a couple of chilly days this week, we’ve also got some more typical spring weather coming, and the best sign yet that winter is just about done – Red Sox Opening Day!

We start the week off on a breezy and chilly note in the wake of a cold front with high pressure building into the region. Wind Advisories and High Wind Warnings are in effect through this afternoon. Sustained winds of 20-30 mph with gusts of 40-50 mph or higher are possible. Temperatures will be below normal for late March, with the wind making it feel even colder, but the chill won’t last long. High pressure moves off to the east on Tuesday and we quickly see temperatures start to moderate.

Wednesday looks to be milder, but clouds will be streaming back in as another storm system moves toward the region. This system will bring in some showers by Wednesday afternoon, with some steady rain possible at night into Thursday morning. The rain looks to end by midday, with much cooler air moving in behind the system. This may allow the rain to mix with wet snow before ending. Of course, when the rain (or mix) ends is crucial, since first pitch at Fenway is scheduled to take place just after 2pm. Right now, it looks cloudy with some sunny breaks possible before the game ends. Temperatures will only be in the lower 40s, with wind chills in the 30s. Not exactly baseball weather, but not out of the ordinary for April 1.

High pressure builds back in on Friday with colder weather, but again, it will be short-lived. As the high moves offshore, temperatures will moderate back to near to above normal levels next weekend.

Monday: Becoming mostly sunny and windy. High 45-52.

Monday night: Clear skies. Low 25-32.

Tuesday: Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds, breezy. High 54-61, cooler along the South Coast and Cape Cod.

Tuesday night: Partly cloudy. Low 37-44.

Wednesday: Becoming mostly cloudy and breezy with showers developing in the afternoon, becoming a steady rain at night. High 60-67, cooler along the South Coast and Cape Cod.

Thursday: Cloudy with rain, possibly mixed with some wet snow, ending around midday. High 49-56 in the morning, temperatures drop into the 40s during the afternoon.

Friday: Partly sunny and chilly. High 37-44.

Saturday: A mix of sun and clouds. High 46-53.

Sunday: Partly sunny. High 53-60.

We’ve got a fantastic stretch of weather coming up for a good chunk of the upcoming week thanks to a large area of high pressure.

Dry and mild conditions are expected through at least the first part of Wednesday thanks to a large area of high pressure. Along the coast, temperatures will be cooler, thanks to a seabreeze each of the next few afternoons, but once you get inland, temperatures should reach the 60s each day. Things could be a little tricky on Wednesday however. Low pressure will meander off to the south for the first half of the week, with little impact on us. However, by late Wednesday it will start to lift out, sending some clouds in along with the possibility of a few showers. If the showers are more widespread than we currently expect or the clouds are thicker, temperatures could end up quite a bit cooler than our forecast currently shows.

High pressure then builds back in south of the region, resulting in southwesterly winds bringing even milder air in for Thursday, possibly right to the coastline. Unfortunately, we’ll also have more cloudcover, as another low pressure area makes its way into the eastern Great Lakes. With enough sunshine, temperatures could top 70 degrees in many spots. That system will bring us some rain for Thursday night into Friday as it passes to our north and west, before a cold front crosses the region during the day on Friday. Friday’s temperatures will be dependent on the timing of the front, the later it moves through, the more likely that it’ll be warmer. If the rain lingers long enough and the cold air moves in fast enough, some wet snow could mix in before everything winds down. We don’t expect this to be the case, but can’t completely rule it out just yet.

Behind that front, more seasonable conditions are expected for Saturday, but Sunday is where things could get interesting again. Another low pressure system will head toward the region, with some rain possible by late Sunday or Sunday night. The problem is, we’ll have some cold air nearby, so it may not be just rain, at least for part of the region. There’s a chance we could have some snow from this system, especially the farther north and west you go from Boston. This is hardly a lock, and things will change numerous times between now and then, but it’s just another example that even though it’s now Spring, that doesn’t mean we’re entirely done with Winter just yet.

Monday: Lots of sunshine. High 57-64, cooler along the coast.

Monday night: Clear skies. Low 30-37.

Tuesday: Sunshine and some afternoon high clouds. High 57-64, cooler along the coast.

Tuesday night: Partly cloudy. Low 33-40.

Wednesday: Thickening clouds with some showers possible during the afternoon and evening. High 52-59, cooler along the coast.

Thursday: More clouds than sunshine. High 62-69, cooler along the South Coast and Cape Cod.

Friday: Cloudy and breezy with showers likely, possibly mixing with wet snow before ending at night. High 58-65, cooler along the South Coast and Cape Cod.

Saturday: Intervals of clouds and sun, cooler. High 53-60.

Sunday: Early sun, then becoming cloudy with rain possible late in the day and at night, possibly mixed with some wet snow well to the north and west. High 49-56.