Springlike Wednesday. Rain and snow possible later next week

Patchy dense fog could hamper visibilities over parts of central and southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin Wednesday morning.

Temperatures will warm quickly after the fog burns off. The solar energy used to dissipate the fog will hold back our high temperatures a bit, but the sunshine on bare ground will warm a mild airmass to make it feel like April. Afternoon highs should be in the upper 30s to mid 40s in the north and 50s across the south.

Record highs likely

As has been advertised, record high temperatures are likely Wednesday afternoon. The Twin Cities should warm into the low 50s, smashing the record high of 46 for this date. But we will probably stop short of the 58-degree, all-time record high for the month of January.

Cooler tomorrow

Thursday will be a bit cooler but still unseasonably mild as we begin February. Highs will be in the 30s north and 40s south.

Continued mild well into next week

High temperatures will continue to run 10 to 20 degrees warmer than normal for the end of this week and into next week. That means highs continuing to be mainly in the 30s north and 40s south. Lake ice will continue to take a beating.

Rain and snow later next week?

The weather pattern looks like it might finally break down later next week. Rain could spread northeastward across the state, turning to snow as colder air begins to arrive from the northwest. It might even seem slightly wintry.