By DJ Kayser, filling in for Douglas:
Wednesday marked the midway point of “astronomical winter,“ meaning we are now out of the darkest three months of the year. Since the winter solstice on Dec. 21, we have gained about an hour and fifteen minutes of daylight and will see more than two additional hours before the spring equinox arrives on March 20.
It’ll feel springlike at times during the next week. Not today, though, as temperatures fall amid mainly cloudy conditions and winds gusting to 30 mph.
Saturday will be the chillier, cloudier day of the weekend, with highs rebounding back above freezing on Sunday. Metro highs in the 40s look likely Monday, with highs near 60 down by Sioux Falls. Some model runs have snowflakes returning to the picture toward the second half of next week.
Climate change is affecting the Olympics. Three million cubic yards of artificial snow had to be brought in for the skiers and snowboarders. Climate Central reports that February temperatures in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, have warmed 6.4 degrees since the city hosted the Winter Games back in 1956.
