Wet Sunday, and then a warmer week ahead

Here's a quick Sunday morning post: 

Today will be wet and cool, with an inch or more of rain collecting in Mecklenburg County gauges. That should help most snow piles disappear as well as wash the salt and brine off roadways. Temperatures will only rise to near the 50º mark this afternoon.

Meanwhile, the upcoming week looks appreciably warmer than most of February to date. Monday - Presidents' Day - will be the coolest day with highs in the mid-50s under gradually clearing skies. After that there's a high probability of reaching 70 degrees by midweek. The recent stubborn pattern of a West Coast ridge and an East Coast trough has swapped, with the colder weather (and snow) shifting to the other side of the country as shown on this graphic:

This doesn't mean winter is totally over, but its grasp is definitely loosening!