February has seen some unusually warm temperatures, but a quick cold snap showed Iowans that it is still winter.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Rod Donavon says that a strong cold front crossed the state starting in the morning of February 27th. He mentions that it crossed the state fairly quickly in terms of the cold front, which dropped temperatures quickly as well, bringing temperatures roughly 65 degrees below what the previous day was. Donavon tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the cold temperatures shouldn’t last long though.

“We will have a pretty quick warm up already. I’m expecting high temperatures back into the 50’s by Thursday afternoon, looking at 50’s and 60’s on Friday, and overall really, the weekend is looking pretty outstanding with highs in the 60’s and 70’s. So we will be approaching some near record highs once again, especially as we get into Sunday.”

Donavon explains that while there was some snow in areas of the state, not much fell in central Iowa. He adds that the major implication from this strong cold front crossing the area is the large amount of dry air it brought with it, as it can cause moisture to leave the area, leading to an increased chance of fire weather concerns.