The Cold Air Damming (CAD) won today. While just about every computer model had the Charlotte area reaching 70° today, the Carolina wedge had a different plan. There was a 20° temperature difference in neighboring counties on Monday afternoon as cold, dense air banked up against the Appalachian Mountain Chain.
The wedge, scientifically known as cold-air damming (CAD) is a meteorological feature that can result in very challenging forecasts for meteorologists. This most often occurs on the east side of the Appalachian Mountain chain and the east side of the Colorado Rockies. Cold-air damming occurs when cold, dense air banks up against the windward side of the Appalachian Mountains. The Mountains act as a dam blocking the shallow, dense pool of cold air which keeps the cold air to the east of the Mountain range. While this meteorological feature can occur any time of the year, they become most common during the fall and winter months in the southeast.
