Think of it this way: All the April showers in the forecast are going to make those newly sprouted trees and flowers very happy. The rest of us, meanwhile, are going to get a lot of mileage out of our umbrellas. The National Weather Service has showers in the forecast right through Friday. Today they predict showers and thunderstorms this afternoon, with up to half an inch of rain. The chance of thunderstorms diminishes tonight, but regular rainfall is expected to continue. The rain is supposed to keep falling Thursday, turning to snow early Friday as temperatures take a big drop. Friday could see rain and snow showers mixed. As for temperatures, they should hover in the upper 50s and low 60s today, tonight and the first part of Thursday until the cold front moves in and plunges us into the 30s. With the thermometer barely expected to reach the 40s, Friday is likely to feel frigid after all the warm wonderful days we've just had. Spring should bounce back again Saturday, though, when the outlook is for sunny skies and highs in the 50s. By the way, April 7 was the last day of measureable snowfall in 2009. Last day the snow officially accumulated here this year was Feb. 28. We only had traces in March.