Will the luck of the Irish be enough to keep rain away from the big parade?
If you're heading into New York City on Thursday to watch the 2016 St. Patrick's Day parade, you should probably bring along an umbrella or a rain poncho, just in case Mother Nature doesn't cooperate.
Although it's likely to be dry and partly sunny when the parade kicks off at 11 a.m., the risk of rain showers -- or possible thunderstorms -- will rise as the day of green goes on, according to the National Weather Service.
The temperature is expected to be about 54 degrees when the parade starts and should rise to 59 by 1 p.m. and into the low 60s in the late afternoon. According to the current weather service forecast, there's a 20 to 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Thursday, and "some of the storms could produce small hail and gusty winds."
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AccuWeather is predicting slightly warmer temperatures for New York City on Thursday, ranging from 56 degrees at 11 a.m. to 66 degrees at 3 p.m.
As for the chances of getting rained on, AccuWeather lists the probability at less than 10 percent before 2 p.m., then 43 percent to 51 percent between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. before dropping to 19 percent at 5 p.m. (The parade is scheduled to end at 4:30 p.m.)
One positive note, aside from the partial sunshine in the morning: The predicted afternoon temperatures on Thursday will be 10 to 15 degrees above the city's normal high of 50 degrees for March 17.
And, in case you're wondering, the warmest St. Pat's Day in New York City was in 1945, when the mercury rose to 75 degrees. No such Irish luck this year.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality. Find NJ.com on Facebook.