More winter weather left in March?

CLEVELAND - Mother Nature can be a tease. We should easily see high temperatures this weekend rise up into the middle 50s. That will be warm enough for the crocuses to bloom and the Eastern Bluebirds to start looking for nesting sites.

For us, it's an opportunity to stretch our winter-weary wings and grease up the bike, or put on the hiking shoes.

But, it's still March, the month where winter wanes and spring sprouts. Often times the two seasons battle it out, and this year will be no exception.

After our mild weekend, computer forecasts suggest winter will try and pay a few more visits to the Buckeye State.

A strong cold front will bring rain to the region Sunday night and throughout parts of Monday. Behind that front, colder, below-normal temperatures return to Northern Ohio for the week.

Average high temperatures this time of year should be in the lower and middle 40s. We'll likely see temperatures in the 30s for most of next week. Though snow chances are small, I can't rule out a little bit of snow on the back side of the cold front early Tuesday morning.

After that, the next snow threat will arrive closer to Thursday, as an Alberta clipper is expected to bring another round of snow to the area.

Most of the time, clipper snows are limited to 1-3 inches areawide. Behind that snowy system, northwest winds blowing across Lakes Erie and Huron will likely result in some scattered lake effect snow on Friday, with highs only expected to reach up into the lower 30s.

Temperatures look to stay below normal for much of the time through at least March 21, the first day of spring. Another storm system will likely bring more cold precipitation to the area around that time, so don't put away the winter coats just yet.