Major warmup to spark record-challenging temperatures from Dallas to Minneapolis this weekend

By Brian Thompson, Meteorologist

March 2,2016; 9:09PM,EST

 

 

For the third straight weekend, warm air has its sights set on the nation's midsection.
Temperatures will jump to between 10 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit above average over the course of the weekend from Denver and Dallas northeastward to Minneapolis and St. Louis.
The change from wintry weather to more springlike weather will be quick in some areas. After seeing a little snow on Friday with highs in the 30s, Minneapolis will have temperatures surge well into the 50s on Sunday.

"The warmer day of the weekend will be on Sunday in many areas, especially across the Plains," AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson said.
By Sunday, a few places will have high temperatures nearly 30 degrees above average, which will challenge records.
"Highs will reach the low to mid-70s across eastern Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma," Adamson added.
The wind will also pick up over the weekend, with gusts over 40 mph expected by Sunday. These gusty winds will help quickly transport the warmer air northeastward.
Farther east, in places like Chicago and St. Louis, the warmest day will wait until Monday.
This weekend will be another in a string of warm weekends across the central U.S., providing yet another opportunity to open the windows and spend some time outdoors. The last two weekends of February also featured temperatures that were 10 to 20 degrees above average.
Well-timed ridges in the jet stream have been responsible for the recent rounds of warm weather, and this weekend will be no different.
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The only hiccup in the pleasant, warm weather will be the potential for spotty showers and thunderstorms to develop on Sunday from the southern Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley.
The peak of the warmth is expected to be on Monday for most places, as the strong southerly flow around a developing storm system in the Rockies will send temperatures rising.
This warmth will eventually translate eastward by the middle and latter parts of next week, with afternoon temperatures soaring into the 60s and 70s along the East Coast.