The temperature Sunday in Brainerd matched an all-time daily record at 59 degrees, first set in 2000.
Those who missed out enjoying Sunday's unseasonably warm temperatures and dry conditions will have to wait at least a week for another chance.
After temperatures matched the record high in Brainerd Sunday, the forecast from the National Weather Service predicts a mix of rain, snow and windy conditions today through Thursday. Thunderstorms were possible as well, said Carol Christenson, warning coordination meteorologist with the NWS office in Duluth.
"There's a very strong cold front moving in from the west," Christenson said. "As warm as we are now, we're going to have the flip side and get cold enough to make snow. Not only that, it's going to be extremely windy on the other side of that cold front, mainly on Tuesday. I hope people are enjoying the weather today (Sunday), because it's going to change."
The forecast called for a 60 percent chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms throughout the day today, with a high temperature near 56 degrees. Conditions are expected to be breezy, with a southeast wind of 10 to 20 mph and gusts as high as 30 mph. The rain could turn to snow after midnight as temperatures drop to an expected low of 27 degrees. Wind gusts might reach 35 mph.
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Tuesday calls for a slight chance of snow throughout the day, with a west wind ranging from 20-25 mph and gusts as high as 40 mph. The high temperature is expected to drop to 36 degrees-much close to the average high for this time of year.
Temperatures are expected to remain closer to average through the remainder of the week. The extended forecast predicts high temperatures ranging from 31-37 degrees Wednesday through Sunday.
Christenson reported the average temperature in Brainerd for March 5 is 33 degrees. The temperature recorded Sunday afternoon at the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport was almost twice that at 59 degrees.
Two years ago, Brainerd residents experienced a much different March 5, when the daily record for cold was set. The thermometer bottomed out at 26 degrees below zero about 6 a.m. March 5, 2015, besting the previous record of 25 degrees below zero set in 2003.
