MARSHALL — Southwest Minnesota residents experienced record-breaking temperatures this past weekend.

A high temperature of 80 degrees was reported in Marshall Saturday afternoon, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Chapman.

The Marshall temperature broke a previous record that stood for more than 80 years.

Daily temperature data for the city of Marshall is reported in the mornings, so the 24-hour period the data covers doesn’t match up exactly with calendar days, Chapman said. The high temperature of 80 degrees was reported in Marshall on Saturday afternoon, but was recorded under the National Weather Service’s data for Sunday, March 22.

Either way, an 80-degree day in March is unusual for Marshall. The previous record temperature for March 22 was 79 degrees, which was set in 1939, Chapman said. According to NOAA online weather data, normal high temperatures for this time of year are in the 40s.

Unusual weather has hit southwest Minnesota so far this spring, going from blizzard conditions one week, to unusually warm temperatures the next.

“It’s just a very amplified weather pattern,” Chapman said of the extreme changes.

Warm and dry weather is expected to continue in southwest Minnesota this week. Temperatures are forecast to get back into the 70s again on Wednesday.

“There’s very little in the way of precipitation for the next six to 10 days, if anything, and temperatures will continue to be above normal,” Chapman said.