Photo: National Weather Service NOAA
(Des Moines, IA) -- It's been a very cold December. The 15th coldest on record for Des Moines from December 1 to December 15.
"Below normal or well below normal." Said National Weather Service Meteorologist Dylan Donovan.
"Five, ten, 15, even the past few days 20 below normal." He said.
Donovan explains the snowpack on the ground acts as both an insulator and a reflector, keeping temperatures colder.
But the cold spell is about to break, starting today.
"We're going to keep warming up through the week, returning to normal even slightly above normal, maybe even low 40s by Wednesday." Donovan said. "And we'll see that more mild, more seasonal trend continue through the end of our forecast."
And, beyond.
"Our long-range outlook 6 to 10 day outlook which goes right up to Christmas Eve, and our 8 to14 day outlook which goes beyond Christmas shows slightly above normal temperatures."
Donovan says the snow will become a slushy mess. "Yeah, it's definitely going to start working on that snowpack, especially Tuesday and Wednesday."