You all know the saying. If you don’t like what the weather is currently doing in North Carolina, give it a day and it will change. This week will resemble that.
Skies will begin to cloud up slowly through the day as our next weather system approaches the area. Temperatures may tickle 50° today. Skies this afternoon will be partly cloudy with high overcast slowly becoming more predominate. At the surface we remain dry. Lincoln and Cleveland Counties will likely see a couple of hours between 2 and 4pm where fire danger becomes an issue as dewpoints will be slow to recover. That yields humidity values in the 25-30% this afternoon. So just be careful burning.
Tonight through Monday:
Tonight conditions become cloudy as high pressure continues moving off the East Coast. Low temperatures will only fall back into the mid and upper 30’s. Return flow behind a departing high pressure will lift a warm front though the area Monday Morning. Light rain will overspread the area just prior to sunrise Monday. Outside of the mountains the atmosphere only supports rain while in the higher mountains rain may mix with snow. Across our forecast area locations such as Little Switzerland, Jonas Ridge, and Blowing Rock will see the most precipitation. Up there one-quarter to one-half inch of rain is possible. Down over the remainder of the foothills precipitation totals will struggle to even reach one-tenth of an inch through Monday. Some cold air damming may persist Monday Afternoon in parts of Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba Counties. That makes for a tricky high temperature forecast Monday. There will likely be a big temperature gradient from south to north across the foothills. Folks along the South Carolina boarder counties could see high temperatures in the mid 50’s. People up along the I-40 corridor will likely struggle to get out of the mid 40’s. Monday Night a trailing cold front will move across the region and temperatures across the foothills may actually rise going into Tuesday. The westerly wind will compress off the mountains and the thermal belt along the Blue Ridge will likely be very noticeable.
Tuesday and Wednesday
Weak cold air advection will likely be overcome by downsloping winds Tuesday. This will not only yield to warm temperatures Tuesday Afternoon but it should also yield to partly clear skies. Though we expect times of sun and clouds we do believe that areas along Hwy 74 will be able to get into the low or maybe even mid 70’s for high temps Tuesday Afternoon. North of there along I-40 temperatures will likely climb into the low 70’s as well.
Wednesday will be a cloudy day starting as the next weather system moves in. Rain will overspread the area and become steady. Unfortunately for snow lovers the high pressure over the Caribbean will be too strong and will force the track of this low pressure system further North. This means big snow for Virginia and rain here. High temperatures Wednesday will be down from Tuesday’s highs, in the mid 50’s. Depending on when the low starts to intensify along the east coast, a brief mix of snow will be possible in Wilkes and VA boarder counties before precipitation ends Wednesday Night into Thursday Morning. Alexander Counties brushy mountains may even see that brief changeover if you are awake late Wednesday Night and predawn Thursday Morning. No snow accumulation though.
Thursday Through Sunday
The weather turns tranquil and temperatures go back to normal for January. Highs in the low and mid 40’s Thursday, upper 40’s to around 50° Friday, and mid 40’s Saturday. Low temperatures will be in the upper 20’s most every night with the exception of Saturday Night into Sunday. That is because our next weather system will likely be approaching and clouds will likely be increasing. Next Sunday is trending cooler and damper. Highs in the mid 40’s with late day rain is what we will forecast right now. A little freezing rain is possible in the mountains.
