How long with this warmth last?

March 2012 is behind us, but I'm sure we're all still wishing for those 70 and 80 degree afternoons!  The monthly average temperature for March was 52.4 degrees, an astounding 15.2 degrees above average, beating out the old record by 4.2 degrees!  If these temperatures would have occurred in April it would have ranked the 15th warmest April in Rockford!  The month of March just added on to the already impressive string of warmth we've had since last Fall.  Monthly temperatures have been above average since October 2011. 

Now, will this type of warmth continue into April?  That's the big question on everyone's mind.  Temperatures today will rise above average once again and then cool closer to normal for the middle of this week.  Looking ahead into next week and it appears as if a cooling trend may be in the works following Easter Sunday.  A large Canadian high pressure system will move across the northern Plains beginning late Sunday night with temperatures possibly falling at or slightly below average for the first time in a while.  It will feel cold to us because we've been so used to the warmth lately, but this is acutally more typical of what April should be.