Warm day in a not-so-hot month

The thermometer might crack 60 this afternoon, for perhaps the only time in the last week and a half of March.

Tomorrow and Friday, rain is expected, with highs back in the 40s. Saturday will be just as cool, but sunny. Sunday will be a bit warmer, but still won't hit 60, while on Monday and Tuesday rain returns, according to the extended forecast.

January and February had warmer spells than the second half of March seems likely to have.

January had three straight days - the 7th to the 9th - with highs in the mid 60s.

And Feb. 6 and 7 set record highs for their dates in Philadelphia, hitting 67 and 68 respectively.

This month hasn't seen 65 since March 8 - which set its own record, for 1.51 inches of rain.

The month's high, 68, was on March 4, with a 64 the day before, and a 62 the day after.

Still, highs are normally in the mid 50s during March, and even the first week of April, according to the National Weather Service.

Then again, record highs for last week of March range from 80 to 87.

For more on the forecast, go to http://go.philly.com/weather.