Area in for (Nearly) Spring-Like Weather After Cold Snap

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — After a couple of weeks in the deep freeze, the Dakotas are in store for a stretch of nearly spring-like weather.

High temperatures in the two states in the coming days are forecast to reach into the 20s, 30s and 40s above zero. That's quite a change from recent weeks, when overnight lows have dropped into the minus 20s and 30s and wind chills have plummeted even lower.

National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hamilton says a change in the jet stream will allow warmer Pacific air to replace the arctic air that has been blanketing the Northern Plains. He says it looks to be mild for at least the next 5-7 days.

Hamilton says for most people, the change should be a welcome relief.