Warm weather has returned at last to the Northeast and Midwest , after months of frigid winter . In New York City today , temperatures jumped above freezing to around 48°F , while in Philadelphia the mercury was just shy of 50 . According to forecasts , the warmth is set to remain for at least the next few days , melting much of the snow still remaining across the northern parts of the country . Springing : Cities across the Midwest and Northeast are warming up - and are due to stay that way for some days . Further south , in Washington , D.C. , temperatures of 57°F were recorded - with the warmth set to stick around for several days . Boston was at 40 degrees Sunday afternoon - but falling temperatures through the evening could bring more snow showers to Massachusetts Bay . The city is now teetering some two inches away from breaking its all-time snowfall record of 107.6 inches , which is likely to fall if the projected snowfall takes place . However , across much of the nation snow was retreating rapidly , with more than half the area covered by snow this time a week ago now bare . Snow in retreat : The above map snows the snow coverage across the United States on Sunday , which 30.1 per cent of the nation was blanketed - a sharp drop from earlier . Last week : On Sunday March 1 , 63.4 per cent of the U.S. had snow cover - more than half of which has melted . On March 1 , 63.4 per cent of the contiguous United States was covered in snow , while by March 8 the figure was 30.1 per cent , according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Higher temperatures have already been creeping northwards over the weekend , especially in the lower Midwest . The Weather Channel reported that Kansas City hit 70 degrees , while parts of Montana and South Dakota were in the low 60s . Warmer temperatures are due to remain at least as long as Tuesday , which will see some central areas of the United States soar to 25 degrees above their regular mid-March average . Heating up : According to AccuWeather , the above highs could strike halfway into next week . Shifting : The Weather Channel shows above how the changing jet stream will affect temperatures . Around the Great Lakes , highs above freezing point will settle in . Minneapolis and Chicago could breach 50 degrees by Tuesday in highs most recently seen as long ago as early November . According to AccuWeather forecasters , the high temperatures are linked to changes in frigid arctic air systems . They had been squatting . Alex Sosnowski , a senior meteorologist , said : ' A change in the weather pattern will turn off arctic air invasions to allow the March sun to go to work over much of the central and northeastern United States ' .
New York City , Chicago and Washington , D.C. , are all well above freezing . Warmth is due to continue into next week , with highs breaching 60°F . The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the entire eastern half of the country through Saturday morning as temperatures drop below freezing. However , Boston could still be due more snow in the next few days .