Temperatures won’t be in the 60s any time soon – nor should they be. But, although record warmth isn’t on tap, for a period this week it will again be quite warm.

High pressure continues to remain in control of our weather today and will continue to influence conditions into Tuesday. Later Tuesday a new weather system will bring a chance of showers. It may actually be cold enough over the interior for a few wet snowflakes briefly, but even in the mountains this will be a rain event.

The surface map below for Tuesday shows a wide area of green, indicating showers over eastern areas of the U.S. The map looks wetter than it will actually turn out to be.

Some rain is likely for the middle of this week, but it’s not a big storm.

Showers and a period of steady rain are in the forecast for later Tuesday through Wednesday, but the amount of precipitation doesn’t look to be too significant. Most areas will see less than a quarter inch of rainfall through this period, which is not enough to make a difference in our long-term precipitation deficit.

Rain is in the forecast Tuesday night and into Wednesday

As we approach March, we need a wet month. March is, on average, the wettest month of the year, but if it turns out dry it tends to set us up for drought.

It does turn colder behind the current weather system, with temperatures returning to more average readings for early March. I see another possible warmup in about a week.

If we are going to see anymore big cold or deep snow spells, time is quickly running out. A snowstorm is possible into early May, but the odds of a significant one decrease rapidly after the next two weeks.

The upcoming pattern just doesn’t have the snowy look ski areas and winter sports enthusiasts like to see.  I also don’t see a lot of precipitation in our future.  This can of course change,

A wet pattern isn’t in the forecast for at least the first part of March.

You can follow Dave Epstein on Twitter @growingwisdom