Albert Lea didn’t break a record over the warm weekend, but it came close.

The city recorded a maximum temperature Monday of 49 degrees. The record for Dec. 15 is 55, set in 1939. The city reached 47 on Sunday, with the record for that day being 51, set in 1998. The mercury climbed to 46 on Saturday, but the record was 51, set in 1921.

It’s nice to compare those temperatures to the record colds. For Saturday, the record was 6 below, set in 1917. For Sunday, it was 7 below, set in 1926. And for Monday, it was 4 below, set in 1989.

The warm spell ended last night as winds picked up and cold air moved in. Albert Lea received a dusting of snow.

The top wind speed overnight was 22 mph out of the northwest, recorded at 3:12 a.m., with gusts reaching 35 mph.

The same system brought snow to northern Minnesota. Little Falls received 2 1/2 inches. Brainerd tallied 1 1/2, while Glenwood south of Alexandria noted 3 inches. Duluth recorded anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Minneapolis recorded four-fifths of an inch.

The National Weather Service says Albert Lea is expected to be mostly cloudy tonight, with a low of 14 degrees and a northwest wind of 10 to 15 mph. Wednesday is expected to be mostly sunny, with a high near 22 and a northwest wind of 10 mph.