Warmer end to workweek, mountain snow likely Friday

Happy Friday Eve! We’re off to another chilly start this Thursday morning as light snow sweeps into the Piedmont & Foothills on the back side of Wednesday’s rainmaking system. While accumulations are unlikely, temperatures will take a step back this afternoon as highs struggle to clear the 20s and 30s across the board. Lows dip into the teens and 20s Friday morning before southwesterly winds bring a major warm-up to the lower elevations; highs likely crack 50° in the Queen City for the first time in two weeks. Another incoming cold front will keep the mountains much colder as jet-stream-enhanced northwesterly flow smacks the High Country with a widespread 3-6″+ of snow between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning.

The Metro could see a stray rain shower or two on Friday, but precipitation chances remain few and far between through the weekend as a dominant ridge of high pressure sets up shop over the Eastern Seaboard. Temperatures are trending a bit cooler this weekend – highs will be in the 20s, 30s, and 40s across the board on Saturday and Sunday – but a big-time climb in the mercury department arrives as we start February’s second workweek. Aided by sunshine and southwesterly winds, highs likely climb into the 60s across the Piedmont & Foothills for the first time in a month by next Tuesday.

Today: AM clouds & flurries. PM partly-to-mostly sunny. High: 40°. Wind: NE 5-15.

Tonight: Variable clouds early, then mostly clear. Cold. Low: 25°. Wind: Light.

Friday: Partly cloudy. Noticeably warmer with a stray shower. High: 52°. Wind: SW 5-15. Gusts: 20+

Friday Night: Partly cloudy. Chilly. Low: 31°. Wind: NW 5-15.

Saturday: Cool sunshine. Chilly breezes. High: 44°. Wind: NW 5-15. Gusts: 20+