Image courtesy of NWS

Central Iowa will get a break from the bitter cold and get a chance to enjoy a winter weather warm up. 

National Weather Service Meteorologist Brooke Hagenhoff says temperatures today will be in the mid 40 degrees and then tomorrow the forecast has conditions warming up to near 50 degrees and also Monday will be around 54 degrees, the warmest day of the week. Hagenhoff says that normal temperatures during this time period are usually close to 30 degrees but these three days are not unheard of in central Iowa. 

“So we’re not anywhere near record territory. And in fact, last year on this day we were at 53 degrees. So it’s fairly common to see some fluctuations with temperatures. It’s not unheard of to have these kind of midwinter warm ups and then drop back down to more average temperatures as we go through the season.”

Hagenhoff says the slightly warmer temperatures are due to a shift in the jet stream from the southern part of the United States. She also states that temperatures will quickly change on Wednesday of next week bringing a cold front that will have temperatures in the low 20s which will include a snow and rain mixture.