Spring is underway in Wisconsin — clocks have jumped forward an hour, and temperatures will climb into the 60s and possibly reach 70 degrees in some parts of the state by Friday.

The beginning of the week will bring southwest winds that will push temperatures up to 60 degrees on Sunday and 65 degrees on Monday.

“Our temperatures are abnormally warm,” National Weather Service meteorologist Marcia Cronce said. “We have a prolonged period of southerly winds going on, even extending all the way from Texas up into the Northern Plains.”

A cold front will move through Monday night, causing cooler temperatures on Tuesday down to around 46 degrees in Milwaukee.

You might notice temperatures drop significantly in the middle of the day, but it depends when the cold front arrives, Cronce said.

Warmer air will return and steadily raise temperatures Wednesday through Friday, possibly reaching 70 degrees or higher by the end of the week in areas further west, like Madison.

Counties that aren’t along Lake Michigan, such as Waukesha County, will see the warmest conditions. The Milwaukee area is expected to see its warmest high on Monday.

That’s because the lake is just above freezing — 32 degrees — this time of year, Cronce explained. When land temperatures get into the 50s or 60s, that’s a “huge temperature difference,” she said.

“When we have any onshore wind off the lake, or if the winds are close to parallel to the shore, then the cold air will spill into the land area,” Cronce said. “This is very common every spring.”

Highs in the 60s are well above normal for this time of year. The average high is around 44 degrees for the second week of March, according to NWS data.

Cronce said this time of year is a battle between cold air to the north and warm air to the south.

“We become more in that zone where we’re going to see all the extremes. That’s typical March weather in Wisconsin,” she said.

But it would be a high bar to set any new records. Milwaukee has hit 68 degrees on March 10, and 78 degrees on March 14 in 2012.

No chances for rain — or snow for that matter — are in the forecast until Friday night and Saturday. And most days this week call for sunny or mostly sunny skies. Get out there and enjoy the first few days of spring.

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