From record heat to 'cool and raw': What to expect for weather this weekend

Get ready for a weather whiplash as "dramatically colder" air and rain this weekend will replace Thursday and Friday's sunshine and near-record heat, according to the National Weather Service.

Providence could have its first 90-degree day of the year Friday, but then see the temperature plummet more than 40 degrees into the 40s by Saturday night, according to the forecast.

"Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop Friday afternoon into the evening ahead of a strong backdoor cold front. The front pushes south of the region Friday night followed by unseasonably cool and raw weather this weekend with gusty (northeast) winds and periods of rain," the weather service says in its forecast discussion.

Before that, interior parts of Southern New England will feel the heat. The high temperature in Providence Thursday was expected to reach 85 degrees under sunny skies, the weather service said. Further inland, Burrillville was likely to hit 87, while central Massachusetts was heading into the 90s.

On Friday, it gets warmer, with a high of 90 likely in Providence and 91 in Burrillville. The record high for June 2 in Providence is 90 degrees, reached in 1944, according to the weather service.

Coastal areas should stay cooler.

By Saturday, the high temperature in Providence will reach only about 54 degrees and drop into the 40s overnight. Similar highs and lows are expected Sunday.

A northeast wind gusting up to 30 mph will make it feel "even cooler especially during periods of rain" early Saturday, the weather service says. The rain should wind down Saturday afternoon, but Sunday could be "a washout," the weather service says.

"Unsettled weather may linger into early next week, depending on the location of where low pressure sets up. A drying trend with moderating temperatures are possible mid to late next week," the weather service says.