A light at the end of the tunnel?

While temperatures the next several days will be bitterly cold, chances of a dramatic warm up this weekend continue to rise!

The upper level pattern we are stuck in currently will linger through the remainder of the workweek. By the weekend, however, a ridge of high pressure will begin to nudge eastward, forcing the polar jet northward.

Winds will shift from the northwest to the southwest, allowing for warmer air building off to the west to quickly advance east. Temperatures begin to warm slightly Friday, but the dramatic temperature jumps hold off until the weekend. High temperatures will be in the mid to upper 20F’s Saturday, under a partly cloudy sky.

Temperatures continue to warm Sunday, with high temperatures approaching 40F across most of the area! Skies will remain generally partly cloudy, with any storm systems missing us to the north. Balmy!

The Climate Prediction Center has issued high odds of above normal temperatures across Minnesota and Iowa for the end of February, primarily due to the warm up expected next week. By the end of February, average high temperatures across the area are in the low to mid 30F’s. Above average highs would place us solidly above freezing!

Model guidance is back and forth on how long the warmer temperatures hang around, with the recent trend drifting toward the warm up coming to an abrupt end by early March. Only time will tell how things play out, but a warm up this coming weekend is likely!