It's March but spring warmth may hold off for a while

(FOX 9) - The calendar may now read March, which is a spring month in the weather world, but that doesn't mean spring-style temps will suddenly appear. The above-average 40s felt quite nice on Monday, but those may be few and far between going through the next week or two.

 

The average first 50° day in the Twin Cities is the first of March, making our current temperatures a bit on the chilly side, relatively speaking.  (FOX 9)

The average first 50° day in the Twin Cities is actually the first of March, when accounting for each year since 2000. In fact, we often manage to get the first 60° day before the end of the month as well. But that's not necessarily a guarantee. The latest longer-range pattern is showing a higher likelihood of below-average temperatures heading through the second and potentially the third week of March. 

 

Now that doesn't necessarily mean bitterly cold and/or subzero temperatures because the farther into the future we look, the warmer the average temperatures become. Therefore, by the middle of March, 40s are considered to be average. This makes the cooler 30s now below average. So below average temps through the middle of the month could just mean the current 30s stick around a while.

I also remind you that the Twin Cities averages more than eight inches of snow during the month as snow season is still very much in play right through the first half of April.

So while temperatures may not dip to arctic cold levels again this season, the "true" spring warmth is likely still a ways off.