After Minnesotans set their clocks forward this weekend in preparation for springtime, the weather will follow.

Higher temperatures will finally prevail after the bitter weather we've seen most of the week.

"The nasty stuff is behind us, I'm pretty confident," meteorologist Paul Douglas said. "It really is a statewide thaw."

The National Weather Service said that after Friday's high of 36, temperatures will continue to climb, reaching about 50 by Tuesday and maybe even breaking 60 later next week.

The temperatures will continue to sit at "above normal" near the end of the workweek, the Weather Service said.

Prospects for the Duluth area are less clear, the service said.

Although Duluth can expect highs in the mid-40s around Tuesday, temperatures will fall again later in the week.

The limited snow coverage in the Twin Cities area means a quicker jump into springtime temperatures and a lower flood risk in the coming months, Douglas said.

This week looks like Minnesotans' first step into spring, he said, as the subzero temperatures are likely behind us.

"It'll feel like April by next week," he said.

Remember, Sunday is the day your clocks — and you — spring forward.

Anne Millerbernd