Mud Season on Pause; Sunny Fri - Wed
Good morning folks! The wintry precip never fully materialized Tuesday night, although we did receive a report of a heavy snow shower late in the evening nearby Lake Toxaway, but this event was a flop with not even a dusting of snow reported. Moving on and looking at our second chance for high elevation wintry weather Friday night previously mentioned on Tuesday, it seems this event is also a no-go with only passing clouds expected overnight into Saturday. With these two events behind us, the overall setup across the Southeast will continue to bring us fair weather and sunshine today through the middle of next week. Northerly flow across the region tomorrow and Saturday will keep temps a touch below normal for early March, but we'll switch to a southerly then southwesterly flow early next week that should push temps back into the low - upper 60's. Dry conditions (humidity levels below 30%) will setup across the area tonight and linger through early Sunday, translating to a fire danger but also a dry setup inside our homes, so perhaps run your humidifiers at high to compete against the dry airmass. Beyond the sunny skies, slight cooldown Friday and Saturday, and the lower humidity levels, there is not a whole lot to talk about, which is fine by us after a busy few weeks.
Temps today (Thursday) reach the low - mid 60's across the deeper valleys, while the ridgelines warm to the low - mid 40's, all under sunny skies. Northerly winds pick up late tonight but they should hold off long enough to allow temps to dip into the upper 20's - low 30's under clear skies; north winds around 15 - 25mph above 3500' after midnight.
Friday and Saturday both keep sunshine overhead, however clouds are likely to pass overhead overnight into Saturday morning, so don't be surprised to see clouds building as we approach sunset on Friday. Clouds should clear the region early Saturday morning and even with sunshine overhead both days, northerly flow will help cap temps to the mid 40's - mid 50's Friday and low 40's - low 50's Saturday. Temps bottom out to the low - upper 20's both Friday and Saturday nights; clear skies Saturday night.
Sunny skies continue into Sunday and should hang around through Wednesday of next week. Temps warm to the low 40's - upper 50's Sunday depending upon elevation, climbing to the mid - upper 60's by Wednesday. Overnight lows will slowly increase with each passing night, starting out in the upper 20's - low 30's Sunday night and ending in the mid 30's - low 40's Tuesday night; all under mostly clear skies. By Sunday, southerly flow should return to the region and increase humidity levels to comfortable levels.
We'll circle back Saturday early afternoon with a new discussion. Enjoy the dry weather!