Winter’s Revenge: Cold Blast en route This Weekend, Hard Freeze Expected

Lead Forecaster Daniel Crawley

Good Wednesday afternoon to everyone, we are in between storm systems at this time. Last nights rain fall has move through and for the next couple days we will be mostly cloudy as the next storm system to our west gets ready to move in just in time for the weekend.

A huge trough is moving into the eastern US on Friday and out ahead of it an area of low pressure will develop. At this time it is expected that we could see another healthy round of rainfall and maybe some thunderstorms for Friday night late and into the early morning hours of Saturday.

This will usher in some of the coldest air we have seen in a while. Warm temperatures have recently allowed the trees and some plants to start budding. What’s coming in once we get to Saturday and Sunday will be a shock to the system.

Saturday’s high temperatures could occur early in the day, downsloping may allow temps to be steady for a bit in the afternoon. Then once we get past 4 pm or so Saturday, downslope effects will end and temps will drop quickly. Saturday will be a windy day as well. By the time we get to Sunday morning high-pressure will be sliding directly overhead the region.

This is going to lead to a hard freeze for the entire western Carolinas. Right now the expectation is for temperatures in the foothills and western Piedmont to be in the low to mid 20s on Sunday morning. With sub freezing temperatures for several hours that will cause damage to those early budding trees and plants. Hopefully the impact to agriculture will be limited in scope. Temperatures in the mountains will be in the single digits and teens.

For our friends in the high country some snowfall will accompany this cold blast as well. Good news for the ski industry as the season is wrapping up!