By John Schwing

WESTPORT — “If you don’t like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes.”

That famous observation by Mark Twain about the head-spinning changeability of the climate hereabouts will be starkly evident over the next two days. The writer knew what he was talking about, having personally experienced the region’s volatile weather as a resident of both Hartford and, at the end of his life, nearby Redding.

Westport will have a brush with spring-like weather today — a full month before the season officially arrives — with temperatures rising to the mid-60s, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

The Fahrenheit was already clocking in close to 50 degrees by 5 a.m. this morning, and after morning clouds clear, the NWS predicts that readings should head toward about 65 degrees under sunny skies this afternoon.

But by Thursday, things are expected to change.

Dramatically.

According to a “Hazardous Weather Outlook” issued by the weather service for Thursday, snow and below-freezing temperatures are in the forecast.

“Snow is expected to develop Thursday night, changing over to a wintry mix and/or rain on Friday,” the NWS warns.

“At this time, 2 to 5 inches of snow is possible before the changeover” to the potentially hazardous mix of freezing rain and snow on Friday morning.

Overnight Thursday, the temperature will plunge to the mid-20s, rising to a high of about 40 degrees Friday as the wintry mix changes to rain for most of the day, according to the forecast.

Saturday is expected to be sunny, but the high temperature will reach only the freezing mark in the low-30s.