March: Wintry to the north, springlike to the south with dozens of temperature records

Minnesota is set to see a vast temperature spread on the final Friday of March.

Highs will be in the 70s to 80s to the south and 30s to 40s for the northern half of the state, where there is also a winter weather advisory.

“It’s symptomatic of this month,” climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley said. “We’ve had a very large temperature range between North and South this month, pretty consistently.”

There were more than 150 new daily high maximum temperature records set during the month — several of them being 70 degrees or warmer. Drought, too, remains a worsening problem. In southwestern Minnesota, there’s a red flag warning in place Friday.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Seeley about the vast temperature differences and lingering dryness in the forecast during their weekly weather chat.

• High winds and whiplash weather increase risk of wildfires in Minnesota
• Record-setting warmth across the state will be followed by storms
• Storm system that walloped Minnesota created multiple tornadoes elsewhere