(CNN) — Are you sick of the cold? Mother Nature has news: Next week will see a dramatic change in weather patterns that will bring an end to the brutal cold.

Few places in the continental United States have escaped the cold snap over the past week. Wind chills dropped below -40 degrees Celsius in the central parts of the country, hundreds of temperature records were broken, one of the coldest NFL games on record occurred, and the coldest caucuses in the country were held. History in Iowa.

But by next week, the bitter cold will be a distant memory across the continental US as unseasonably mild conditions put an end to the chill. In some places, it will feel more like March than January.

Above-average temperatures are forecast for the lower 48 states through Tuesday, according to the Climate Prediction Center's temperature forecast.

A significant change in weather patterns in the upper atmosphere through which the jet stream flows is responsible for this change.

During the current cold season, the jet stream (a river of air that separates warm and cold air) has traveled across the southern United States. This positioning allows blasts of cold air from the Arctic to pass through Canada and into the United States.

But the jet stream will move further north next week. This would do two things at once: trap much colder air in Canada and allow warmer air from the tropics to rise north toward the United States.

Temperatures below zero in New York on January 17, 2024 (Credit: Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A warming trend will begin Sunday in the western and north-central parts of the US. Moderate conditions will gradually expand over many parts of the country early next week.

Chicago could finally break the freeze on Monday. It was the first time since Saturday afternoon that thermometers in the city crossed zero degrees Celsius.

But the central and eastern United States will experience more severe temperature changes by midweek.

The Plains and Midwest will warm from 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit above average last Sunday to 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit next Wednesday.

Both Des Moines, Iowa and Minneapolis will experience temperatures in the 40 to 50 degree Fahrenheit range from brutally cold this week to unseasonably warm weather next week.

The maximum temperature in Des Moines on Sunday did not exceed -21.6 degrees Celsius. For next Wednesday, the maximum will be -1.1 Celsius, similar to March. Minneapolis hit -16.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday, but will hit 4.4 degrees next Wednesday.

Further east, it will be felt in late February. Indianapolis, Cleveland, Philadelphia and New York will average 4.4 degrees Celsius by midweek.

According to the Climate Prediction Center, this above-average heat will last through late January across most of the country.

This article was published and updated on January 19