Say goodbye to the rain, flooding and cool temperatures of March and say hello to April, sunshine and a minor heat wave.
The Capital Region may set records for high temperature on Friday and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Albany. A balmy weather system coming out of the southeastern United States will bring in temperatures as high as the upper 70s to 80 degrees by Saturday.
Dry air from the Rocky Mountains is combining with a high pressure system in the southeastern states and swinging into the Capital Region today and Friday.
“We may have a shot at tying or breaking some records,” said Brian Montgomery, a weather service meteorologist.
The average high temperature for the first week in April is between 50 and 55 degrees, the low averages between 30 and 35 degrees.
On Friday the temperature is expected to reach 75 degrees, which would be well above the record high for April 2 of 69 degrees set in 1967. The record high for Saturday, April 3, was 79 set in 1981. If temperatures get to 80 as predicted, then another local record will be broken.
Today, April 1, is the start of trout season. The anglers will encounter sunshine and temperatures into the upper 60s with light winds.
The sunshine and warmth also will dry things out.
Flood warnings were in effect for parts of the Capital Region on Wednesday.
The Hudson River was slightly above its banks in Mechanicville, Waterford, Troy and Schuylerville but was expected to crest Wednesday night and start receding by today.
The Schoharie Creek was also more than a foot above its banks in Burtonsville on Wednesday morning but already had started to recede by afternoon.
A weak cold front is expected to come through Easter Sunday and there is a slight chance of rain in the morning. By Sunday afternoon the sun will be out and temperatures will rise into the upper 60s.
The next significant rainfall isn’t expected until the middle of next week, according to the National Weather Service.
The nice weather likely will bring crowds back to garden centers across the region.
Chris Berninger, manager of Hewitt’s Garden Center in Glenville, said people caught spring fever during a warm spell about two weeks ago. But the recent cooler weather and rain have slowed down business considerably.
Berninger said early April is a good time to put down grass seed or plant trees or shrubs. It’s also a good time to fertilize a lawn.
“We are very weather dependent,” he said.
He said pansies are a popular flower at this time of the year and, despite their name, can stand up to cool temperatures down into the mid-20s. Forsythia plants will soon be in bloom with their yellow flowers.
Categories: Schenectady County
