Authors: Toms Bricis (lsm.lv Weather News, March 18).
According to forecasts, Monday is expected to be the calmest day of this week.
The temperature will be around zero on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, with widespread frost and icy road conditions. Tuesday will pass without significant precipitation, but some areas will experience rain on Wednesday. Afternoon temperatures will be 5...10 degrees, cooler near the coast – about 2...4 degrees.
In the latter half of the week, temperatures will rise slightly, reaching 7...12 degrees, cooler near the coast by a few degrees. The minimum temperature during the nights in the latter half of the week will be 0...5 degrees; on some nights, it will not be more incredible than 6...7 degrees.
March has been approximately 2.5 degrees warmer than the climatic norm so far. Forecasts indicate that the second half of March will mainly continue to be warm, and the month may end with an average temperature above 3 degrees compared to the climatic norm, which is 0.2 degrees.
So far, most of Latvia has received less precipitation than usual for March. Only in the South Kurzeme region is the amount of precipitation close to the climatic norm.
From Thursday, the wind will shift from the southwest, becoming gustier and bringing warmer air.
No frost is expected at night in the latter half of the week. Minimum temperatures will mostly be within the range of 3...8 degrees and 7...13 degrees in the afternoon. On Friday and Saturday, they will reach up to 15 degrees in some places in Zemgale and southern Latgale. It will be cooler on the western coast of Kurzeme—around 5...6 degrees.
The weekend will also see occasional light rain, but the sun will appear. During these days, warmth records will be reached, as the existing records from March 14 to March 16, which vary by location in Latvia, are within the range of 9...15 degrees. Friday and Saturday, we could also see new national maximum temperature records for these dates.