After a wet, chilly Memorial Day weekend two weeks ago, warm, summer-like air is finally flowing around Borderland.

Mike Stewart, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth, told The Journal Wednesday that the first week of June has experienced “normal” weather conditions for this time of year with temperatures hovering in the upper-60s to mid 70s.

But, by the time readers pick up this copy of the newspaper, the meteorologist predicts the area will be experiencing “well above average temperatures.”

“We are expecting to see temperatures peak up into the low-to-mid 80s this weekend,” Stewart said. “It is going to get pretty warm.”

The normal for the beginning of the first official month of summer is 72 degrees, according to Stewart. With this weekend seeing a warm-up of about 10 to 15 degrees above that normal, Borderland will be taking a two-day leap into temperatures typically experienced at the end of July, early August.

“It is going to be hot and humid,” Stewart noted. “It’ll seem like mid-to-late summer.”

A flow of warm air pushing up from the lower Mississippi Valley and the southern states of Texas and Arkansas is to blame for the expected heat wave, and Stewart said “rain should stay away for a good part of the weekend, too.”

“Weather-wise, we’re not expecting to see rain until late Saturday night or early Sunday morning,” the forecaster said. “It looks like it should be a nice weekend for outdoor activities.”

Although significant amounts of rain have steered clear of the area for a few days, Stewart said mild drought conditions have been lifted for Borderland. While the Arrowhead region is still “pretty dry,” the rain from Memorial Day weekend two weeks ago calmed conditions down, he said.

“The rain two weeks ago was able to rid the area of the drought,” Stewart explained.

The skies aren’t expected to stay dry for long. Stewart predicts a cold front will move through the International Falls area sometime Sunday to “bring showers, thunderstorms, and return temps to normal.”

“We’ll get that first taste of summer and then it’s back to 60-70-degree weather just in time for the work week,” he said. “People should take advantage of this warm weather and enjoy the weekend.”

Spring summary

According to the NWS website, May was warmer and drier than normal in Borderland.

The average temperature for the month was 53 degrees, which was 1.8 degrees warmer than the normal of 51.8 degrees, making May the 32nd warmest in station history.

The highest temperature for the month was 88 degrees on the 18th, and the lowest was 26 degrees on the 16th, according to the website. The low temperature of 29 degrees on the 31st tied the daily low temperature record set in 1910.

The site also said overall, the 2012 spring season as a whole was warmer and wetter than normal in Borderland.

The average temperature for the season was 43.7 degrees, which is 5.5 degrees above the normal of 38.2 degrees, making it the fourth warmest meteorological spring on record.

The website said 7.05 inches of precipitation was recorded for the season, which is 1.71 inches above the normal of 5.34 inches. The totals rank the season as the 15th wettest on record.

For a complete forecast, visit www.crh.noaa.gov/dlh.