Wonderfully warm start to weekend, sharp cooldown ahead

Happy Friday! Today marks the final day of meteorological winter, but spring is already jumping the gun as we close out the second month of the year. Despite the passage of a cold front on Thursday, temperatures will not fall too much from yesterday as highs rise back into the 50s and 60s this afternoon. Abundant sunshine continues into our first day of March on Saturday as temperatures roar back near 70° around the Metro to kick off the weekend. The mercury comes crashing back down to earth by Saturday night, however, as a sharp cold front slices through the Carolinas. While the incoming system won’t bring any rain along with it, most communities in the WCCB Charlotte viewing area will wake up to near- or below-freezing temperatures Sunday morning. Highs will struggle to clear 50° in the Piedmont Sunday afternoon, while the mountains will largely end up stuck in the 30s to end the weekend.

Warmer air steadily builds back in over the first few days of the workweek as southwesterly winds return to the Carolinas. Highs should reach near 70° again in the Queen City by Tuesday afternoon, but the warmth may not be a good thing. A strong storm system is expected to race across the Mid-South, Deep South, and Southeast by midweek. The increasing temperatures may provide more energy for this system as it rolls into the Carolinas. We’ll want to watch for severe storms across the board on Wednesday.

Today: Sunny and comfy. High: 65°. Wind: NW to SW 5-10.

Tonight: Clear and cool. Low: 46°. Wind: SW 5-15. Gusts: 20+

Saturday: Another lovely day. Breezy at times. High: 72°. Wind: W 10-20. Gusts: 25+

Saturday Night: Clear. Much colder. Low: 31°. Wind: NW 5-15. Gusts: 20+

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