Looks like Gen. Beauregard Lee nailed spring outlook last month

Georgia's famous groundhog, Gen. Beauregard Lee, may have hit the forecast on the head last month by not seeing his shadow and predicting an early spring.

Temperatures are expected to climb to near 80 degrees by the end of next week in portions of the midstate, depending on the cloud cover.

"I wouldn't necessarily say we're done with winter, but I don't see any extreme polar outbreaks on the near horizon," said Bill Murphey, Georgia's climatologist.

Meteorologists have already closed the books on winter -- which for them includes the months of December, January and February -- in terms of studying climatology.

Under the influence of an El Nino pattern, Macon's climatological winter was the 10th wettest in recorded history, with 18.35 inches of rain, Murphey said.

With saturated ground and high stream flows, central Georgia and points north could see above normal river flooding over the next 90 days, according to the Southeast River Forecast Center.

The El Nino pattern that developed late last year has influenced the flood outlook, said Matt Sena, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree City.

"It set us up for that potential because of the above normal precipitation in December and above normal since February," he said. "When the soils are moist, less soaks in and more runs off."

The winter's active weather pattern is expected to linger into spring, but Georgia should get a break from rain over the next week or so.

"We don't really see a big organized system moving through until the end of the week and weekend," Sena said.

Computer models could change, but for the short term, no rain is in the forecast.

Murphey cautioned that "in this kind of pattern, things can pop up."

By the middle of next week, overnight low temperatures are expected to be in the 50s.

But don't plant those bulbs yet.

Murphey warned: "We're not out of the woods yet for a freeze, but the days of extreme cold, I don't see that ahead for us."

Daylight saving time begins March 13, and spring begins officially on March 20.

To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303 and follow her on Twitter@liz_lines.

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Looks like Gen. Beauregard Lee nailed spring outlook last month ."