Douglas: Temps above freezing headed our way

By Todd Nelson, filling in for Paul Douglas:

I am happy to report that the latest stretch of subzero temps is behind us! Fingers, toes and frozen nose hairs will soon begin to thaw as we approach the weekend.

We may see our first high at or above freezing this Saturday, which would be the first time since Feb. 3. But wait, there’s more! It appears that we’ll rattle off a few 40s through the end of the month. Interestingly, MSP saw a record 19 days in February with highs at or above 40 degrees back in 1877. Last year we had 18 days. And who could forget the all-time February record high of 65 degrees on the 26th last year? Good grief!

No, we won’t see anything that warm for a bit, but many will be pleased with our upcoming late winter heat wave. Note that we are only 27 days away from the first day of spring. However, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. March is typically our fourth-snowiest month, averaging around 8 inches in the metro.

Enjoy the milder sunshine Friday and Saturday. Clouds thicken on Sunday with a chance of rain showers early next week.