Forget the snow blower. Break out the beachwear in Minnesota.

A warm air bubble stretching from Texas to Canada is pushed Minnesota close to record highs for early March.

Austin topped out at 68 degrees Tuesday, but it fell short of the record 71 degrees set in 2000, according to The National Weather Service.

The weather service says Minneapolis and St. Cloud both set daily temperature records Tuesday. Minneapolis hit 70 degrees at 1:30 p.m., breaking the old record of 69 set in 2000. St. Cloud rose to 66. That breaks St. Cloud’s record of 62, also set in 2000.

But the record warmth didn’t last long. A cold front pushed through the region Tuesday night, bringing cooler weather.

Highs Wednesday ranged from the upper 30s to upper 40s, about 10 degrees above normal. But higher temperatures will return later in the week, with highs forecast in the 50s.

—The Austin Daily Herald contributed to this report