Not winter yet: Warmer weather expected to hit Columbus next week.

In the words of Game of Thrones' Ned Stark, "Winter is coming," but not just yet. Columbus and many parts of the Ohio Valley could experience some warmer temperatures beginning early next week, providing a small break from chillier recent days.

The National Weather Service forecasts expect temperatures in the upper 60s to begin this Tuesday and move up into the lower 70s by Wednesday across the Ohio Valley.

The NWS Wilmington office predicts that this brief warm spell will last about two or three days before a cold front arrives later in the week. Logan Clark, a Wilmington meteorologist, cautioned that since this forecast is five to six days in the future, temperature predictions could change due to both "timing and strength of the warm weather pattern."

Why the change?

This shift in weather is due to an "upper-level ridge", a pressure ridge in the upper air that blows from west to east.

These upper-level ridges are usually associated with warm and dry weather conditions. On the other end of the spectrum are troughs, an area of relatively low atmospheric pressure often associated with cooler weather conditions.

What does the weekend hold?

With the good news comes some bad news.

There's an 80 percent chance for rain beginning Thursday with temperatures in the low 50s and more chances for rain continuing through Saturday evening when lows will be in the low 40s.

Sunday and Monday could see the sunshine as the Ohio Valley enters the forecasted warm-up.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus area to experience warmer temperatures