Wedge battles for control over Carolinas

Temperatures may rebound into Saturday before the wedge settles back in by the end of the weekend.
James Scott,

We’ve made it to our final Friday of 2025! Our Boxing Day looks very different after Charlotte’s warmest Christmas on record as a classic Carolina wedge sets up shop. Our highs for the day likely came at midnight; temperatures will continue to fall throughout much of the afternoon as northeasterly winds continue to pour into the WCCB Charlotte viewing area. Some patchy drizzle may also develop through the morning, although the clouds will have more bark than bite today. Afternoon temperatures will end up in 40s and 50s across the board before warmer air pushes back into the Carolinas on Saturday.

The holiday weekend ahead figures to be a very difficult forecast as two very different airmasses battle over control of the Carolinas. Most models suggest that warmer air swells into the WCCB Charlotte viewing area on Saturday before the wedge returns on Sunday. The best approach for a forecast like this is to meet in the middle. We could see wild temperature differences across the Piedmont and Foothills on Saturday; temperatures may approach the mid-70s south of the Metro, while areas along I-40 once again struggle to clear 50Β°. Right now, the general model consensus is that cold air takes the reins back on Sunday, with highs in the 40s and 50s across the board.

We finally put an end to the wedge shenanigans on Monday as a cold front rips through the Carolinas from the northwest. Highs should surge well into the 60s – possibly cracking 70Β° – around the Metro before the front passes through, bringing showers and much colder air along with it. Most locations will see under a quarter-inch of rainfall as we kick off the final week of the year. The cold air sticks around through the new year, as mainly sunny skies and near-average temperatures in the 40s and 50s carry into 2026.

Today: Cloudy with AM patchy drizzle. High: 55Β°. Wind: SE 5-10.

Tonight: Overcast and mild. Low: 51Β°. Wind: SW 5-10.

Saturday: AM mostly cloudy. PM mostly sunny. High: 68Β°. Wind: NW 5-10.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear early before clouds build overnight. Low: 48Β°. Wind: E 5-10.

Sunday: Wedged in again. Cloudy and cool with a stray shower. High: 52Β°. Wind: SE 5-10.