Forecast Last Updated at Friday, January 30, 2015 at 12:20PM

Windy & Cold

Windy, cold conditions will be the theme today in the wake of yesterday’s strong cold front. Temperatures won’t rise much above where they were this morning. Wind gusts today reach 45+ mph in the mountains and 30-35 mph in the Foothills. The wind slacks of some tonight allowing temperatures to quickly drop. Temperatures rebound some on Saturday. Increasing clouds Saturday afternoon give way to rain showers Sunday and Sunday night. Bring the rain gear if headed out for the Superbowl.

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Friday Hi: 37 Lo: 22 Mostly to partly cloudy; Breezy & cold; NW wind 15-25 mph with gusts to 40 mph; Diminishing wind late tonight

Saturday Hi: 48 Lo: 29 Partly sunny; North wind 5-10 mph

Sunday Hi: 48 Lo: 35 Cloudy; Daytime rain; Rain may mix with or change to snow late Sun. night; South wind 5-15 mph

Monday Hi: 39 Lo: 21 Mostly to partly cloudy & cold; AM flurries possible; Blustery

Tuesday Hi: 43 Lo: 26 Mostly sunny; Remaining chilly

Further Out

Wednesday - Increasing clouds; Rain showers possible Wed. night; High in the upper 40s; Low in the mid 30s
Thursday - Mostly cloudy; High in the lower 50s; Low in the upper 20s

Forecast Discussion

A strong cold front swept through western NC last night, ushering in much colder air on a breezy NW wind. In the mountains, snow showers and flurries along the NC/TN line will gradually taper off this afternoon. It will be a windy day areawide with gusts of 35-45 mph expected in the mountains (isolated gusts to 50) and 25-35 mph in the Foothills. With the cold air filtering in, highs this afternoon won’t be much higher than where they were this morning. The wind, of course, will make it feel even colder.

High pressure builds in tonight which will allow the wind to gradually diminish after Midnight, especially east of the mountains. This will set the stage for a very cold night across the area with lows in the teens and 20’s.

The weekend forecast is becoming clearer, but there still remains some uncertainty. The high shifts east Saturday, but holds on long enough to keep it dry through Saturday night. Moisture quickly increases late Saturday, though, leading to a wetter Sunday. One detail to be worked out yet is when the rain moves in Sunday. Right now we are thinking Sunday afternoon. So, if you plan to be out and about for the Superbowl, bring the rain gear. Rain continues into Sunday night. In the mountains, we still cannot rule out a brief change to light snow or flurries late Sunday night as colder air filters in, but this is the other area of uncertainty with this system.

Behind Sunday’s system, more cold air moves in early next week on a breezy NW wind, similar to what we are experiencing today. Looking towards the middle of next week, we will be watching a storm system develop along the Gulf Coast. The latest model data differs on the track of the system. A southern track could keep it mostly dry while a more northern track would mean wetter.

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