Mild in the Great Plains

If you live in the Great Plains and ventured outside lately, you were probably wondering if it was springtime already!  It is indeed January.  But thanks to a ridge pattern in the jet stream—which keeps the very cold air bottled up north in Canada—high temperatures have been well above normal.  In fact, cities like Fargo and Grand Forks, North Dakota set record highs on Thursday.

Thursday’s high temperatures in Montana and North Dakota were between 20 and 25 degrees above normal!  That trend will continue on Friday.

The mild air will bring a taste of spring to much of the United States from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes.  Cities like Denver and St. Louis can expect above normal temperatures well into next week.

Nationwide, the weekend outlook will include tolerable temperatures from coast to coast.  Sunshine and 50 degrees in Chicago is not a bad forecast for January!

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