A no-joke April Fool's snowstorm swirled toward the Northeast Thursday, a cruel prank on a region that was finally seeing a reprieve from its long, white winter. 
 
 A storm will continue moving up the East Coast, bringing significant snow showers to New England Friday April 1, 2011. Behind this activity, a disturbance will move through the Midwest with showers, while... (Associated Press) 
 
 The spring snowstorm was expected to hit late Thursday and last into Friday morning _ April Fool's Day _ dropping up to a foot of snow in some areas including northwest New Jersey, eastern New York and around New England. 
 
 The timing could make for a messy Friday morning commute. 
 
 Storm warnings were up around the region, and parts of New Jersey and New York's Hudson Valley and Catskills could see 5 to 10 inches. Up to 8 inches were possible in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains. 
 
 High-altitude areas of central Vermont could get up to a foot of snow. 
 
 Coastal parts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut were expected to get mostly rain, or wet snow that won't accumulate. 
 
 No snow was expected in New York City, but the National Weather Service said commuters could see a rain-snow mix Friday morning. 
 
 The storm caps a particularly brutal winter for the region, with many cities setting record or near-record snowfalls. 
 
 But it's not all bad news, at least not for some skiers in western Pennsylvania. 
 
 Anna Weltz, a spokeswoman for Seven Springs Mountain Resort, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the resort will reopen for Saturday only to cash in on the new snow. The resort 45 miles southeast of Pittsburgh had already closed for the season. ||||| A scorcher is on tap for Southern California on Thursday, with forecasters saying some areas could hit near-record temperatures. 
 
 The National Weather Service said beaches could reach 80, and some inland and valley areas could have temperatures over 90 degrees on the second day of the end-of-March heat wave. 
 
 On Wednesday, Chatsworth topped out at 88 degrees, Pasadena reached 86, and downtown Los Angeles near USC was 81, according to the National Weather Service. Fillmore in Ventura County reached 89 degrees; Camarillo, 81; and Oxnard, 76. In Orange County, Lake Forest recorded a high of 89 degrees and Yorba Linda 85, the Weather Service said. Ontario in the Inland Empire was 88 degrees, and Chino was 80. 
 
 Lower temperatures are expected beginning Friday and into the weekend. 
 
 ALSO: 
 
 San Onofre Nuclear plant operators want new seismic study 
 
 Study concludes that 12% of California's bridges are structurally deficient 
 
 Villaraigosa, Boxer and GOP leaders call for more federal transportation money 
 
 — Robert J. Lopez and Shelby Grad 
 
 Map: shows forecast of expected high temperatures in Southern California through 9 p.m. Thursday. Credit: National Weather Service
– Mother Nature is planning an April Fool’s joke on the Northeast: Just as spring was beginning to bloom, a snowstorm is on its way, the AP reports. It’s expected to arrive tonight and continue into the morning, pounding some areas—including New England, eastern New York, and northwestern New Jersey—with up to a foot of snow. (None is expected in New York City.) To add insult to injury, Los Angeles is experiencing a heat wave with near-record temperatures in the 80s and 90s, Los Angeles Times notes.