Cloudy, wet weather to dampen MLB Opening Day activities

April showers will be arriving ahead of schedule for many cities in the eastern United States this week, potentially impacting Thursday's MLB Opening Day activities.

Three of the games scheduled to take place on Thursday in Detroit, New York and Atlanta will face cloudy and damp weather.

"As a cold front stretches from the Ohio and Tennessee valleys up into the eastern Great Lakes on Thursday, some of the baseball games for Opening Day may be impacted," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson.

Pittsburgh Pirates @ Detroit Tigers

While seasonal temperatures in the low 50s might feel mild compared to the recent chill in Detroit, spectators will still want to pack extra layers in order to stay dry.

A storm system that brought flooding rainfall to the southern United States is expected to arrive by midday on Thursday, bringing rounds of potentially heavy rainfall through the area.

"In Detroit, much of the late morning into the afternoon looks quite wet," Adamson said. "The game is in jeopardy of experiencing rain delays or even being rained out."

St. Louis Cardinals @ New York Mets

Luckily for those in the Northeast, conditions will turn out drier for the Cardinals and Mets in New York, according to Adamson.

"While a shower or brief rain delay cannot be ruled out, the game is unlikely to get rained out," he said.

Being only a week removed from one of this year's biggest snowstorms, temperatures hovering in the low 50s will feel springlike to many.

Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves

Although warmer weather is in store for those in Atlanta, fans will have little need for sunscreen or sunglasses. Clouds are expected to shroud the sky throughout the day as storms approach from the west.

"As opposed to the games that start at 1:10 p.m. Eastern Time in Detroit and New York, the game in Atlanta begins at 4:10 p.m. Eastern Time," Adamson said.

"Therefore, the rainfall will likely be approaching toward the later innings of the game," he warned.

The threat of a rain delay will therefore increase if the game goes into extra innings.

Any spectators traveling from the stadium on Thursday evening will need to be weather-aware, keeping the radio on in case a severe weather warning is issued.

Related: Look back at this winter's severe weather: