Riding the ridge

High pressure is set up across much of the central US, allowing temperatures this afternoon to warm into the upper 70s to low 80s!  With the ridge in place, the low will move north into Southern Canada before moving into the Great Lakes Friday afternoon.  This pattern, however, is different from what we've experienced this past winter because we had a persistent trough settled across much of the US.  That allowed the storms to move south into the Mid-Atlantic and up the East Coast bringing record snowfall to some.  This pattern keeps the Southeast dry while bringing rain in the northern Plains and snow to the Rockies.  The ridge will gradually break down as a cold front moves in bringing temperatures back to "average" by the weekend.