Good morning! I'm Aaron Jolly. And welcome to the North Dakota Weather Podcast — it's Thursday, February 26th. Step outside right now and that 20 degrees under gray skies feels like winter's still got you pinned. But here's the twist.. Today pulls off a disappearing act. That cloud deck cracks open as warm Pacific air floods in. Central North Dakota? You're hitting 51 degrees this afternoon. That's 15 degrees warmer than normal for late February. Eastern areas climb to 40. Up north you'll see 45. Westerly winds gust to 24 miles an hour, so you'll feel that shove. Tonight stays surprisingly mild. Lows only drop to 30 degrees statewide under partly cloudy skies. Not bad at all. Friday's when the script flips. A cold front knifes down from the north. Highs still reach 38 in the east and central areas, 33 up north. But the winds? They crank up hard. ...