1st Freeze; Light Rain Thur Night
Good morning folks! For those of us who live in the valley we are waking up to temps in the low - mid 30's, while the ridgelines above 4500' are baking in the mid - upper 40's, with a few peaks hitting the low 50's! This is a perfect example of a temperature inversion that typically occurs during the early fall season, a few times during winter, and again during early spring. This morning marks the 1st freeze for many locations, most of them in Central Haywood, with Waynesville reporting a low of 31°F. Cold start aside, we'll rebound nicely this afternoon (Tuesday) with temps hitting the low 60's - mid 70's depending upon elevation, all under sunny skies. This fair weather train rolls into Wednesday with temps a degree or two warmer than today, followed by a frontal passage that will take most of the day Thursday to arrive, crossing the region overnight into Friday. The front may linger for a few hours in the morning on Friday but by midday we expect sunshine to hop back in the driver seat, with temps cooling down slightly Thursday and Friday to the upper 50's - low 70's depending upon elevation. The weekend ahead will remain dry and we are watching early next week for another round of rain or stretch of rain, as a warm front approaches the area late Sunday, however details remain fuzzy this far out in time.
We'll kick the timeline off on Wednesday with more sunshine across the region and temps peaking for the week to the low - mid 60's above 5500', while the valleys push into the mid - upper 70's depending upon location. Temps settle into the low - upper 40's Wednesday night under partly cloudy skies.
The front will take most of the day on Thursday to arrive but clouds will build ahead of the frontal passage, becoming mostly cloudy by the early afternoon hours, which will cap temps to the upper 50's - low 70's depending upon elevation. We are not expecting too much wind with this front, only gusting to 20mph across the higher elevation as it enters the region during the evening hours. A round of light - moderate showers will sweep the region overnight and leave behind 0.10 - 0.25" of rain regionwide, which will help but really only knock down the dust for a day or two. Overnight lows settle into the upper 40's - mid 50's.
Friday starts out with cloud cover across the region but this should clear out by midday and temps will hold to the upper 50's - low 70's as westerly flow takes over, setting up a steady breeze around 5 - 15mph throughout the day. Temps settle into the low - upper 40's once again, under mostly clear skies and alongside a steady westerly wind around 5 - 10mph.
Saturday and Sunday look perfect if you have outdoor plans with temps climbing to the upper 50's - low 70's each afternoon, both under mostly sunny skies. Saturday is the better day for pictures if you are leaf peeping as moisture levels will slowly build across the region over the course of the day on Sunday. Overnight lows hold to the low - upper 40's depending upon elevation, mostly clear Saturday night, partly cloudy Sunday night. This increase in moisture levels should help setup a round of rain early next week when a warm front enters the region, but the timing and how much rain are still undetermined at this time.
We'll stop here and circle back on Thursday, with a better look at early next week's rainfall chances. ENJOY!