A January thaw in all it’s glory this week!
We will end the month of January on a VERY mild note. In fact, for late January standards, it is probably appropriate to use the terminology “warm” to describe temperatures this week.
The source of this warmth is rather ironic, as the warm air itself will be coming from the west/northwest, as opposed to where it typically comes from, the south. The air flow pattern across western North America will favor air rising over the Rocky Mountains, then sinking on the eastern side of the mountain range.
As this air sinks, it warms and becomes rather stable in nature. Add a conveyor belt of cold fronts pushing southeast across central Canada, and boom. A continuous flow of mountain induced warm air sets up across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest ahead of these cold fronts!
Our January thaw begins Monday, with high temperatures in the upper 30F’s to lower 40F’s. Winds will be breezy out of the southwest, between 10 to 20 mph, gusting up to 35 mph at times.
Tuesday will be even warmer, with high temperatures in the mid 40F’s across southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa. It will remain breezy, with southwest winds gusting up to 30 mph at times.
A cold front passes nearby early Wednesday, resulting in slightly cooler air making its way into our area. It will still be quite warm for this time of year Wednesday afternoon, however, with highs in the mid to upper 30F’s!
A larger push of warm air originates on the eastern side of the United States Rocky Mountains Wednesday into Thursday, and quickly advances east across the snowless terrain of the central Plains. This will allow the air to further heat, resulting in highs in the mid to upper 40F’s across our area on Thursday!
Another cold front sags across the area Friday, but high temperatures remain in the upper 30F’s to lower 40F’s. Highs remain in the 30F’s through the weekend, with winds becoming more calm.
There are signals further out that colder air will return to our area sometime during the beginning of February, but for now, things look quite warm relative to normal this time of year for the week ahead!
