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Wind chills in the 20s in Philly Thursday morning, with a hard freeze outside the city.

Winds gusting to 35 mph are forecast to continue through the day Thursday, with wind chills as low as 27 in Philly in the morning.

Family gets surprised by heavy wind and falling rain along American Street on Wednesday afternoon.
Family gets surprised by heavy wind and falling rain along American Street on Wednesday afternoon.Read moreALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer

It’s April 22. Do you know where your overcoat is?

Temperatures dropped below freezing in parts of the region early Thursday, wind chills were in the 20s elsewhere, and highs might not get out of the 40s on the afternoon of Earth Day as the atmosphere has taken several dramatic steps backward toward March.

The chill comes in the wake of a potent front that stirred wind gusts past 40 mph Wednesday and shaved 20 degrees off temperatures in a few hours. Readings overnight dropped to 30 in Pottstown and the West Chester Airport, and to the mid-30s in town.

Just in time for Wednesday’s Phillies game, which started at 1:05 p.m. as they were hosting the wind-familiar San Francisco Giants, storms began popping up across the region. The game was delayed in the third inning, and by the time play resumed a hitter-friendly wind from the southwest had made an abrupt turn and was howling from the northwest, more or less toward the hitters’ faces. (It also must have changed the Phillies’ luck; they won, 6-5.)

» READ MORE: Chilly home opener for Phillies with strong winds, wintry temperatures, and not much body heat

But if you’re in the market for an attention span, don’t waste your time on the atmosphere in April. It will warm into the 60s on Friday and make a run at 70 Saturday. It might even stay warm for a while next week.

» READ MORE: After soaking rains in Philly and a brief return to winter, expect a warm spring, forecasters say