Messy Friday Evening, Chilly Weekend Ahead

Happy Friday and happy St. Patrick’s Day! Unfortunately for those with evening plans outside, Mother Nature is bringing the green on radar. Light-to-moderate showers will continue through at least 10 PM in the Metro; areas east may not dry out until after midnight. A few northwesterly flow snow showers may crop up this weekend in the High Country, but everywhere else will be sunny and dry. The bigger story will be the cold. Most, if not all, communities in the western half of the Carolinas will bottom out below freezing for the next several nights ahead starting on Saturday.

Highs will crest near 60° Saturday afternoon, but most will struggle to get out of the 30s and 40s for the second half of the weekend. Stiff breezes out of the north and northwest will make it difficult for any meaningful warming over the next five days. Eventually, the pattern will break, allowing warmer winds out of the south to bring us back near 80° by next Friday. Rain chances appear minimal over the next seven days, but long-range models hint at a few showers in the Carolinas on Wednesday.

Tonight: Scattered rain. Drying out late. Low: 44°. Wind: NW 5-15. Gusts: 20+

Saturday: Sunny with chilly breezes. High: 58°. Wind: NW 5-15. Gusts: 20+

Saturday Night: Clear and brisk. Low: 29°. Wind: NW 5-15. Gusts: 20+

Sunday: Cool sunshine. High: 50°. Wind: NW 5-10.