Mild final week of January, near-record high temperatures later this week

A March-like stretch is ahead for this last week of January. We’ve started the week off with temperatures in the upper 30s to lower 40s across southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, and Tuesday will be a bit milder with more sunshine.

Winds will remain gusty the majority of this week, staying strong out of the west through Tuesday. That will bump highs into the mid-40s Tuesday afternoon.

Slightly cooler air moves in Wednesday, but highs will still be in the mid-30s, almost 15 degrees above average for this time of year.

Thursday is shaping up to be the mildest day of this week. Highs across the area will surge into the upper 40s to lower 50s. The record high for Thursday, January 30th is 48°, set back in 1919, and the current forecast high for Thursday is 49°.

Next week’s highs will drop back to the lower 20s. Through this week and into next, we still don’t have any substantial storm systems set to strike the area. However, the storm track looks like it will be a little more favorable for us in the first couple weeks of February, so there is still some hope for snow.