Warm day to be followed by rain, dropping temperatures

By Lauren Dezenski, Globe Correspondent

Today’s warm weather will be short-lived as highs in the mid-40s give way to rain showers this evening and a cold front early Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.

Boston could reach 45 , with clouds and chances of showers gradually increasing. The brunt of the rain should fall in a six-hour window between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m., said meteorologist Bill Simpson.

Those along the southeast coast could even hear a clap of thunder tonight, Simpson said.

Melting snow, thanks to today’s warmth and rain overnight, could create issues with black ice Wednesday morning, Simpson said, as a strong cold front follows the rain, pushing temperatures below freezing.

With gusty northwesterly winds, Wednesday’s daytime temperatures will not recover much, either. Wind chills will make temperatures feel like the lower 20s inside Interstate 495 as highs will barely creep above 30 degrees. Thursday will see the same weather pattern, though temperatures should recover to the normal high of 39 degrees Friday, ahead of another potential storm this weekend.

Simpson said the storm could bring snow or rain, it was too early to tell which.