BACK TO REALITY...

We have been far from spring recently in the Midwest. Last week was filled with snow and a big chill. Temperatures have been running *well* below normal over the last seven days.

The peak for my local area was the strong late-season winter storm that produced over a foot of snow in parts of southern Iowa. Now that snow from Thursday night is just a distant memory. A strong southwest wind propelled temperatures back toward normal levels... and well above freezing. The snow stood no chance on Saturday.

The warmth will continue into the new week. There will be a weak cold front that slides through early Sunday morning so temperatures will be slightly cooler than Saturday. However, the wind won't be as strong so it should still feel nice outside.

Temperatures will get bumped back up Monday ahead of another cold front Monday night into Tuesday.

That front will bring the chance for rain Monday night into early Tuesday, mainly east of the Mississippi. There may be a few showers and storms to the west, but we'll have to keep an eye on the trends.

There will bring another front that brings a chance for (mostly light) rain Wednesday. But in general we're getting back to a pattern that's more typical of April around here. Temperatures in the 60s and 70s along with periodic chances for rain. Hopefully we can say goodbye to winter for good now!

RK