Weekend Weather: Sunshine Through Saturday, Morning Showers Sunday

It's cloudy this morning, but it's also a bit chilly.  Eventually skies clear later this morning and early afternoon. The strong late February sunshine is going to boost temperatures into the low 40s this afternoon for some more melting. The amount of daylight continues to increase just under three minutes each day and the sun will set just before 5:30 p.m. today.

If you think that spring hasn't arrived you're not looking closely enough. Many of the trees have buds which are swelling, crocuses and daffodils have broken through the ground and each morning, the birds are singing differently than they were just 10 days ago. If you could somehow look at the root activity of all of the plants around the region you would see that the sap has started to flow and there is lots of root, fungal and bacterial activity under the surface. While we might think spring doesn't arrive until the temperature hit 70 degrees and all the flowers are in bloom, for nature spring is well underway.

Of course this doesn't mean there's not more cold or snow ahead. Our next storm system will move in late Saturday night. You're not going to have to worry about any precipitation unless you're out past midnight. At that point there may be a quick burst of snow around Boston before everything changes to rain. Across Worcester county and into New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, there will be several hours of wintry precipitation meaning slippery driving into early Sunday morning.

By midday Sunday everywhere will warm up well above freezing and highs will reach back into the 40s. The storm which brings the rain for Sunday will head up into Canada and become a formidable monster. The only effect for us will be very windy conditions on Monday with the possibility of power outages and some minor tree damage. Something to keep an eye on.

You can follow my updates here and on Twitter @growingwisdom.

Friday: Clouds give way to sunshine and clouds. Highs near 42.

Friday Night: Clear and chilly

Saturday: Mainly sunny. Highs 40-45.

Sunday: Early slick spots inland with morning rain and mild. Highs in the 40s.

Monday: Sunshine, very windy. Highs in the upper 30s to lower 40s.

Tuesday: Sunny and cold. Highs in the lower 30s.