Good afternoon. Vermont. I'm DJ Huzz.

Step outside right now and you'll feel spring trying to crash the party. We're sitting at 50 degrees — that's 16 degrees warmer than normal for early March. The kind of warmth that gets sugar maples dripping and boots swapped for sneakers.

Southern Vermont woke up foggy with a brief rain chance wrapping up by 10 A.M. Highs near 45 degrees, but the real story is the wind — gusts hitting 29 miles an hour out of the west. Tonight drops to 33.

Central Vermont gets the best of it today. Mostly sunny skies, highs near 54. And lighter winds around 9 miles an hour with gusts to 26. Tonight falls to 35 under clear skies.

Northeast Vermont sees a quick rain shower possible before 1 P.M., then sunshine takes over. Highs near 51 with southwest winds 7 to 13 miles an hour. Tonight's low around 29.

Here's your heads-up for the week ahead. Monday stays mild with sunshine and highs in the upper 50s statewide. Perfect weather for soaking up those extra three minutes of daylight we're gaining today. Tuesday pushes into the low 60s — that's when the real snowmelt kicks in.

Wednesday is when things flip. Rain arrives with highs still in the 50s, but a cold front barrels in Wednesday night. We're talking rain-to-snow, gusty winds. And temperatures crashing hard. Thursday brings the plunge — highs only in the mid 30s to low 40s with lingering snow showers. Wind gusts could hit 40 miles an hour. The weekend stays chilly with snow chances and highs in the 30s.

Don't forget — clocks spring forward tonight. You lose an hour of sleep, but the spring equinox is just 12 days away.

See you tomorrow.