Well above average temperatures and very quiet for the week ahead

Happy Sunday everyone!

The forecast for the coming week is certainly something. Of course, as has been the case most of the winter, there isn’t a peep on the precipitation side of things. It’s the temperatures that are going to be the main story, and things could not look more different than they did a week ago!

Temperatures today climbed into the lower 30F’s across all of southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa, which is a solid 10F above average for some locations, including Rochester!

Temperatures will be much warmer tonight than they were last night, with lows in the teens. Winds will be breezy out of the northwest between 10 to 15 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph at times. Skies will remain generally clear as well, making for a quiet night.

Clouds increase Monday as a cold front sags southward, but this is certainly not a heavy weight cold front capable of packing much of a one two punch. It will be breezy Monday, with winds out of the southwest between 10 to 20 mph, gusting up to 35 mph at times. Highs will be in the upper 30F’s to lower 40F’s across the area! There could be a few flurries during the afternoon hours, but nothing significant by any means.

Winds shift to out of the northwest Monday night and remain breezy, gusting up to 25 mph at times. Lows will be in the low 20F’s, near the average high for this time of year.

Morning clouds give way to afternoon sun Tuesday, with highs in the mid 40F’s across the area! Winds remain breezy out of the southwest, gusting up to 35 mph. Don’t worry though, it will still feel quite mild out there!

Partial cloud cover hangs around into Wednesday morning, before clearing throughout the day. Another cold front passes us by to the northeast Wednesday, sending slightly cooler air in our direction. Highs will still be in the mid to upper 30F’s across the area, however.

Thursday is shaping up to the be the warmest day of the week, with highs in the mid to upper 40F’s! Some models are even full sending northern Iowa into the lower 50F’s. Too early to explicitly advertise 50F’s, but the signal is there. Talk about a January thaw!!!

30F’s and 40F’s hang around Friday, before we cool down slightly this weekend, with most locations seeing highs in the 30F’s. Clouds increase this weekend as well, but precipitation chances mentioned yesterday have nearly vanished entirely. Looks like yet another missed opportunity to our south. Overall, warm and quiet are the themes for the week ahead!