Temperatures recover, monitoring midweek severe threat

Winter’s not finished yet. Monday morning will be our coldest in a week as lows dip below freezing across the board. Temperatures will recover nicely in the afternoon despite the cold start – expect highs to reach near 60° across the Piedmont and Foothills for the first day of the workweek. While temperatures continue to rise into Tuesday, the sunshine’s reign will come to an end as clouds build in from the west. Most communities across the Carolinas will remain dry, but a stray shower or two may pop up later in the day as a powerful storm system approaches from the west.

A robust area of low pressure will develop over the next 24 hours and race across the southeastern U.S. through the first half of the week. Rain chances pick up across the WCCB Charlotte viewing area after midnight into Wednesday morning. The timing of this system may end up benefitting us – the strongest storms appear to arrive around sunrise, which means they’ll have less energy to work with than if they rolled through in the afternoon. Nevertheless, we’ll have to watch for a line of strong-to-severe storms that may impact your Wednesday morning commute. Strong winds and localized heavy rainfall appear to be the main threats, but a quick spin-up tornado can’t be ruled out yet. Generally speaking, the higher severe threat is to the east on Wednesday.

Cooler and drier air filter in behind the storms to close out the workweek. Temperatures will top out in the 40s and 50s on Thursday after summiting in the lower 70s on Wednesday. Highs reach back near 70° by Saturday afternoon, but model trends suggest another cold front will bring rain and another blast of cooler air by the end of the weekend.

Tonight: Clear and cold. Low: 30°. Wind: Light.

Monday: Sunny and warmer. High: 58°. Wind: SW 5-10.

Monday Night: Another chilly night. Low: 37°. Wind: S 5-10.

Tuesday: Clouds build. Even warmer. High: 66°. SE 5-10.