Colder Weather is Around the Corner
Good afternoon folks! Today's sunny skies were a pleasant treat after picking up some rain on Friday, however much more rain will fall on Sunday. Starting Monday we'll deal with below average temps in the 10 - 20 degree range and it may take until Thursday to reach near normal levels, with the only silver lining being that Monday through Thursday will feature sunny skies. The other silver lining is for skiers and boarders as this stretch of colder than normal weather will be ideal for the local ski resorts to make snow day and nigh, setting up a nice late season base to wind down the season later on this month.
Clouds thicken tonight and light spotty showers develop closer to sunrise on Sunday, with widespread showers taking over Sunday mid morning, hanging around till the late evening hours. Past sunset coverage will decrease gradually, however the frontal passage will usher in NW winds and allow any lingering moisture to transition to snow, with a dusting to an inch likely across the usual NW flow locations (TN line, Great Balsams, Cataloochee Ski Area, etc.). Temps tonight settle into the low 40's for most of the region, warming only to the mid 40's - low 50's Sunday and they'll plummet to the mid 20's - mid 30's Sunday night.
Monday through Wednesday will feel more like early January than early March as temps only reach the upper 20's - low 40's each afternoon, with each passing day roughly one or two degrees colder than day before; Wednesday should be the coldest day of the week. Monday will feature NW winds around 15 - 25mph across the higher elevations, pushing wind chill values into the teens for most of the day. Overnight lows dip into the low teens - mid 20's each night, with Tuesday night looking like the coldest night of the week, all under clear skies.
Thursday remains sunny but moisture approaches the region from the southwest and temps begin to warm to near normal levels, climbing to the upper 30's - upper 40's depending upon elevation. The models point to more rain late Friday into next weekend, but we'll wait till our next discussion on Monday to discuss any details.