The great thaw is over and Minnesotans got to see a glimpse of warm weather on Monday.
It reached 70 degrees for the first time since November in the Twin Cities, according to a National Weather Service tweet.
The complete melt of snow in the Twin Cities helped warm things up, said Nick Carletta, NWS meteorologist. The warm ground allowed warm air and wind to come to the surface.
"If we had snow on the ground — we wouldn't have been nearly as warm as it has been," Carletta said.
The warm weather and high winds were blamed for a grass fire about 50 miles from Grand Forks, N.D., which closed two roads in northwestern Minnesota.
The smoke reduced visibility of the area, which is east of Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge.
The fire later spread, also closing a stretch of neighboring Hwy. 32.
Minnesota State Patrol troopers helped with traffic control, according to that agency's Twitter account.
