After a weekend of record highs, local residents awoke to chillier temperatures this morning.

Brian Carcione of the National Weather Service office in Huntsville said Monday’s front, which had the area under a tornado watch, was expected to plummet temperatures to 40 degrees early today.

Weather watchers predicted a 70-percent chance of rain for Monday night, but Carcione said the greatest threat was for thunderstorms with “damaging straight-line winds and hail.” He said there was the chance of an “isolated tornado.”

Today was expected to be sunny, but the high was only expected to reach 58 with winds north-northwest at 10 to 20 mph.

“We’ll have a struggle today to reach 60 degrees,” said Carcione.

Carcione said cold air masses that dropped today’s temperature and brought Monday night’s storms is usual for this time of year.

“The record highs we had over the weekend are more unusual,” he said.

Carcione said daytime temperatures on the weekend got into the 80s, but the low temperatures at 60 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday were unusual for being so warm.

“March is just a time of wind and sharp temperature swings,” said Carcione. “We have the cold lingering from winter and the warm spring temperatures coming in. That’s part of the reason we have so much severe weather here this time of year.”

Skies were expected to remain clear tonight with temperatures plunging toward freezing. Wednesday will be sunny again, but temperatures will again not get above 60 and are expected to dip to 40 at night.

The weather service predicts more isolated thunderstorms on Thursday with the high remaining around 60. Friday will be a mix of sun and clouds, with temperatures dropping even further with highs in the mid-50s, and lows in the 30s.