After mild weather today and tonight, a strong cold front will slam through the area, knocking temperatures from the 40s early in the day back into the teens by the evening. This front will bring with it a mess of wintry weather. Rain will change to freezing rain, sleet, and eventually snow. Also, strong winds developing in the wake of the front will lead to areas of blowing snow. Another thing to watch out for is the liquid precipitation that falls early in the day may freeze on surfaces, including roads, as temperatures rapidly fall during the day. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Breezy, with a south wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Tonight: Rain, mainly after 1 a.m. Low around 29. South wind 13 to 18 mph decreasing to 7 to 12 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday: Rain, snow, freezing rain, and sleet, becoming all snow after noon, then gradually ending. Patchy blowing snow after 10 a.m. Temperature falling to around 15 by 5 p.m. Wind chill values between -4 and 6. Blustery, with a north northwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday Night: Patchy blowing snow before 9 p.m. Mostly cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 8. Wind chill values between -5 and zero. Blustery, with a north northwest wind 20 to 25 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 24. North wind 6 to 9 mph.

Friday Night: A slight chance of snow showers after 7 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 16.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 4.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 26.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 10.

M.L.King Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 16.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around -2.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 17.