Warmer than average temps all week, a few rain chances to watch

Happy Sunday everyone!

Wow, what a pattern change! Only a few days ago we had below 0F temperatures across the area, but now…some locations are pushing 50F! We’ve seen a good deal of filtered sunshine as well, which has helped to eat away at the snowpack quite effectively!

Temperatures in the 50F’s are lurking just west of I-35 this afternoon. Don’t worry, they’ll be here soon enough, despite all of us falling short of 50F today. Temperatures tonight will not drop much, only into the low to mid 30F’s, which will help to continue snow melt through the night.

Clouds hang around going into Monday, but with westerly winds blowing warm air in our direction, this shouldn’t prevent temperatures from reaching 50F for most locations! A weak area of low pressure will also track through the area Monday evening, bringing a chance for rain showers with it. The best chance for rain looks to be through Steele, Mower and Howard counties, with this being a relatively narrow, and light, event.

Clouds decrease on Tuesday somewhat, allowing for sunshine and highs in the mid to upper 40F’s for most. Another disturbance approaches our area from the west Tuesday evening and into the overnight hours. Forcing will be present, but moisture is still a bit of a question. Odds favor enough moisture to kick off a few showers (rain, possibly snow?) into early Wednesday morning. No major accumulations, if any, are expected.

Temperatures will be slightly cooler Wednesday, with highs in the low to mid 40F’s, but that is still well above average for this time of year!

Ending the week, highs look to push and exceed 50F once again across southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa Friday. A cold front will pass through Friday night, knocking highs down into the mid to upper 30F’s for the weekend. Still mild for this time of year!

Taking a look into next week, we could push and exceed 50F once again next Monday, before a more potent storm system arrives Tuesday. Still a lot of time to watch though, and this is in no way certain. What is certain, however, is temperatures look to remain well above average the next week!

A nice change of pace compared to last week!