March 17, 2012 10:39 am

By Timothy McNulty / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Maybe groundhogs don't have magical predictive powers after all.

Today Pittsburgh may break its record high St. Patrick's Day temperature of 73 degrees set in 1945 and may keep shattering them in coming days. Forecasts are for the mid-70s through the weekend, with projections of temperatures in the 80s by Tuesday, putting the March 20, 1948, record high of 79 in the crosshairs, too.

On Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and thereby predicted six more weeks of winter, but the rodent failed miserably, as the season has been remarkably unseasonal.

High temperatures are expected to continue through the balance of March far in excess of the typical daily 55-degree highs and 35-degree lows, said Lee Hendricks of the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.

"We're way above normal here, with lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s. An early spring comes to Pittsburgh," he said.

The warm temperatures are due to relatively warm air pumping up from the Gulf of Mexico, and a high pressure area off the East Coast circulating counter-clockwise and returning the warm air to the area.

The pleasant weather Saturday should guarantee a huge crowd for the city's St. Patrick's Day parade and with it heavy traffic. Vice President Joe Biden will be attending the parade, causing rolling street and highway closures, and the third round NCAA tournament game at Consol Energy Center between Syracuse and Kansas State is set to tipoff at 12:15 p.m.

The parade formation begins at the Greyhound bus station at Liberty Avenue and 11th Street. The parade route will follow Grant Street to the Boulevard of the Allies, where it turns right and ends at a reviewing stand on Stanwix Street.