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Temperatures are recovering after Charlotte’s coldest spring morning in six years, but forecasters aren’t promising big improvement for the weekend or next week.
Meteorologists say Charlotte won’t have to deal with freezing weather again for at least a few days, but the weekend will be raw and wet.
A pair of low pressure systems will move across the eastern United States, bringing a chance of cold rain early Saturday and again Saturday night into Sunday. The more significant rainfall is expected with the second storm system.
Generally clear skies and cold high pressure allowed temperatures to tumble into the lower and middle 20s Friday morning across the region.
The unofficial low in Charlotte was 26 degrees. That failed to equal the record for the date, 24 degrees, but it was the coldest spring morning in the city since April 8, 2007 -- Easter Sunday. It dropped to 21 degrees that morning, setting an all-time record for April.
It was even colder at other places in the region.
Unofficial lows included 18 degrees at Morganton and Boone; 20 degrees at Statesville; 21 degrees at Lincolnton and Salisbury; 22 at Albemarle; and 23 degrees at Lancaster and Hickory.
Clouds are expected to increase Friday, as the first low pressure system approaches the region. But temperatures are forecast to reach 50 degrees, which is a bit milder than Thursday -- yet still more than 15 degrees below average for this time of year.
A buckle in the jet stream has allowed unseasonably cold air to pour into the eastern United States, and the trend is predicted to continue next week, possibly not relenting until the first week of April.
On Saturday, a bit of light rain is possible in the morning, and some freezing drizzle could fall in the higher elevations of Caldwell, Avery and Watauga counties. However, forecasters say a few peeks of sunshine could develop in the afternoon, with highs reaching the lower 50s.
A stronger storm system is predicted to arrive Saturday night, accompanied by rain that will continue into Sunday.
High temperatures might not make it out of the 40s Sunday.
