As stated in my previous post, the stage is being set for an increasingly large temperature contrast this weekend both locally, ahead and behind a sharpening cold front and across the country.

While snows and potentially blizzard conditions continue for some, warmth, gusty southwest winds and strong to severe thunderstorms will be the weather talk up and down the Plains this weekend, although it was Dr Greg Forbes of The Weather Channel who alluded to the ‘capping’ of the atmosphere which is likely to keep tornado production low.

Highs even this afternoon are only at 12 degrees at Cut Bank, Montana while it’s in the 80s over Kansas. Even regionally there is a large contrast with 80s in Kansas while it’s only in the 40s to the north in Nebraska.

It’s as the trough deepens in the West, we will see the ridge and warmth extend north further east. Record highs will be set today and over the next 3-4 days as warmth spreads all the way to the East Coast Sunday-Monday. We  could see 80s as far north as eastern Nebraska tomorrow while 70s overspread Lower Midwest, Ohio Valley.

Montana will be widely stuck in the 10s and 20s with such cities as Cut Bank perhaps holding in mid-winter like single digits.

Tonight is likely to be the coldest night so far with lows dipping below zero across the Montana Rockies. It wouldn’t surprise me if we see a -10F or colder tonight and over the next couple.

Here is Saturday and Sunday’s national highs courtesy of weather.com.