March may go in a lion and come out a lamb, but the battles along the way can sometimes be fierce.

Over the weekend, as competing warm and cold air masses met, winds of up to 50 miles per hour were clocked in Charleston, said Dalias Price, local weather observer and former meteorology professor.

Friday’s high reached 67 degrees, but temperatures dropped into the 40s Saturday and Sunday, and strong winds ripped through the area. Now, however, calm weather should return, Price said.

“We’re under the control now of a big high pressure area, so that will mean dry weather for a little while,” he said, acknowledging that the National Weather Service forecasted an isolated shower for Monday.

By 7 p.m. winds were blowing at 26 miles per hour and gusting up to 35 miles per hour at the Coles County Memorial Airport, the National Weather Service reported.

Despite the relative chill of the past weekend, temperatures were actually above the average of 38 degrees for this time of year. Temperatures above 60 degrees could return next week, Price said.

Another by-product of clashing air masses are tornadoes, but Price said this time of year they are just beginning to occur in Mississippi and Alabama.

“Tornadoes are a rare event,” Price said.

The Associated Press weather forecast for the Charleston, Champaign and Danville area called for a Monday high in the upper 40s and northwest winds from 10 to 15 miles per hour.

“Spring will be here in due time,” Price said.