Minnesota's theater of seasons will be on full display this week with near record warmth in the Twin Cities and Central Minnesota on Monday, followed by a midweek taste of winter mixed in before summer-like conditions arrive for the weekend.

The wild temperature swing will begin on a high note as the mercury in the metro area makes a run a record that has been on the books since 1896. Monday's forecasted high of 63 degrees in the Twin Cities is just one degree shy of daily record for Feb. 26 and the warmest temperature ever recorded in February, according to the Minnesota Climatology Office.

New records could be set Monday in places such as Alexandria, Brainerd, and St. Cloud, as breezy conditions push temperatures into the upper 50s, the National Weather Service said.

But Minnesota weather in February is cruel, and a winter storm moving through the Upper Midwest will bring snow and send the temperatures into a freefall. In Moorhead, readings will fall from 57 degrees Monday afternoon into the single digits by nightfall, the National Weather Service said.

Additionally a Winter Storm Watch with the potential for 4 inches of snow and blizzard conditions goes into effect Monday night in the Red River Valley, stretching from Grand Forks to Fargo in North Dakota, and including Crookston and Fergus Falls on the Minnesota side. More than 8 inches of snow could fall across far northern Minnesota, the Weather Service said.

By Tuesday, lows in the Fargo-Moorhead area will be close to 0 degrees, the Weather Service said.

It won't be quite that cold in the metro area, but readings in the teens Tuesday night and highs in the 20s Wednesday will feel chilly. A burst of snow — up to an inch or two — accompanying the cold "could lead to slick travel that could last into the Wednesday morning commute," the Weather Service warned.

Coat and jacket weather will be replaced with spring-like conditions by Thursday with a high near 50 degrees. A strong sun will warm things up to near 58 on Friday and more high temperatures records are in jeopardy Saturday and Sunday with highs in the mid to upper 60s, the Weather Service is forecasting.