SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota — After a chilly weekend, warmer than normal temperatures are moving back into the Midwest and the Plains. Our latest outlook for Thursday October 22 through Tuesday October 27 shows Sioux Falls running about 13 degrees above normal, the warmest departure on the map. At the same time, the East Coast is expected to stay cooler than normal right into early next week.
What Warmer Than Normal Means
This outlook does not show the actual temperature you will see on your thermometer. Instead, it shows how much warmer or cooler than normal temperatures are expected to run for late October. A city marked 11 degrees above normal, for example, should feel about 11 degrees warmer than a typical day at this time of year.
Warm colors on the map point to above normal temperatures, while blue colors point to below normal temperatures. The deepest reds and browns cover the Plains and Upper Midwest, where the warmth is strongest.
The Northern Plains Lead the Warmup
The biggest warmth is centered over the Dakotas, Minnesota and Nebraska:
- Sioux Falls is expected to run about 13 degrees above normal, the highest number on the map.
- Fargo, Pierre, Minneapolis and Omaha are all expected to run around 11 degrees above normal.
- Bismarck and International Falls are forecast to run about 9 degrees above normal.
- Minot is expected to run about 7 degrees above normal in the northern part of the region.
For residents here, this is a welcome change after the cold weekend. Afternoons should feel more like early fall than late October.
Warmth Spreads South and East
The warmer air does not stop in the northern Plains. It stretches south into Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, and east toward the Great Lakes.
City Departure From Normal…