MARSHALL — Unusually warm weather could hit southwest Minnesota this weekend, with temperatures reaching nearly 60 degrees.

Temperatures that warm may set new records for Marshall, said Samantha Garrett, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls.

In Marshall, daytime temperatures are forecast to get into the upper 50s this weekend, with a high of 56 degrees on Friday, 59 degrees on Saturday and 58 degrees on Sunday. If temperatures reach those forecasted highs, it will break previous records by about 2 to 5 degrees, Garrett said.

According to NWS data, the record high temperature for February 13 was 50 degrees, reported in 1947. The record high for Feb. 14 was 54 degrees, recorded in 1999. The record for Feb. 15 was 52 degrees, in 1981.

Garrett said there are a couple of factors that are behind the warmer weather the region has had this week.

“We are in kind of a ridge-like weather pattern,” which is bringing in warmer air, she said. And at the same time, there isn’t much snow on the ground in the region right now. Having a substantial snowpack can help keep temperatures cooler by reflecting sunlight, Garrett said. When there’s no snowpack, it allows the sun to warm up the ground more easily.

The warmer temperatures are likely to stick around for the next few days.

“We’re seeing this general pattern staying in place at least as far as early next week,” Garrett said. Later in the week, temperatures are forecast to cool a little.

On its website, the NWS said in addition to seeing above-average temperatures, conditions in the region will be dry through the weekend. Breezy conditions on Sunday could lead to periods of elevated fire danger, the NWS said.

A map released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on Feb. 5 showed that southwest Minnesota is experiencing abnormally dry conditions, with most of Rock County in moderate drought.