Early spring preview: Records from the 1800s could fall

Another spring preview is underway as a large high-pressure ridge builds in the central U.S. Temperatures will be as high as 20 degrees above average for this time of year, with daily records on deck to be tied or broken from the Upper Midwest to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic as we go about the week.

Today’s high temperatures in the central U.S. range from the low 40s to the upper 50s, with 60s spreading across the southern portions of Texas and the central Gulf Coast thanks to the warm air influx of the high-pressure ridge.

Some spots in the Upper Midwest will reach the upper 40s and 50s today. Waterloo, Iowa, could come close to breaking its daily high-temperature record of 56 today with a forecast high of 55. Further north, Minneapolis, Minn., is expected to reach 54 today, which would surpass their 1925 record of 51.

We’ll see similar temperatures here on Wednesday and even Thursday with even warmer highs in the upper 50s reaching as far north as South Dakota!

This ridge will slowly make its way east through the weekend. Many may even be able to crack their windows to air out the house after days of cooler weather. Check the TemperatureRadar for the most comfortable spots.

We’ll see a bigger shift eastward on Friday. Spring-like warmth will reach into the lower Great Lakes with mid-to-upper 50s spreading into Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.

Chicago has a chance of reaching the 56-degree mark Friday, possibly tying the 56-degree record from 138 years ago in 1886.

On Saturday, the warm weather shifts to the eastern third. Those from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast have the best chance to see record-breaking temperatures. While the Mid-Atlantic warms up to the 60s, those as far north as Burlington, Vt., could see the thermometer rise to the upper 40s and 50s!

However, it is February, and Old Man Winter still has the stage. As the high-pressure ridge moves east this week, a low-pressure trough will move in, allowing cold, wintry air to spill in.

First, we’ll see the return of winter starting Thursday in the northern tier including the Dakotas. The split between the high- and low-pressure systems will have the western portion of North Dakota below freezing and the eastern half above. But by Friday, the teens and 20s return here with chilly 30s and 40s spilling as far south as Kansas.

Don’t put away your winter coats just yet! But just so you know, the spring equinox is 42 short days away!