North Carolina Weather: 02-21-2026

Good evening! I'm Aaron Jolly, and welcome to the North Carolina Weather Podcast. It's Saturday, February 21st. Folks, enjoy tonight's mild air while you can. It's about to get snatched away. Here's the deal. We just crawled out of a 19 degree overnight low and two inches of snow, and today felt like a gift. But that gift has a return label on it. Down in the Piedmont, you topped out near 62 degrees this afternoon. Soak that in, because rain rolls in after midnight. The heaviest stuff hits around 17 degrees A.M. Winds swing southwest around 17 degrees A.M., gusting to 18 miles an hour by Sunday afternoon. Sunday's high? Barely 52 degrees. Then you're plunging into the 20s overnight. Over in the Triangle, similar story but cooler. You peaked at 58 degrees today. Rain starts earlier here, around 17 degrees A.M., and hammers hardest near 17 degrees A.M. Sunday brings north winds gusting to 32 miles an hour. Highs struggle to touch 50. By Sunday night you're at 30 degrees. That's a 28 degree drop in 24 hours. Your thermostat won't know what hit it. Now the mountains. This is where it gets serious. That 62 degree afternoon was a tease. Rain turns to snow after 17 degrees P.M. above 17 degrees,500 feet. Winter Storm Warnings are up for Avery and Mitchell Counties. Four to ten inches of snow with gusts near 50 miles an hour. Sunday morning? 19 degrees with wind chills in the single digits. Near whiteout conditions at times. If you're heading up there, don't. Here's your heads up for the week ahead. Monday stays bitter cold in the mountains, lows near 17 degrees. Piedmont highs only in the 40s. But Wednesday rebounds into the 60s statewide. Then more rain Thursday and Friday, because North Carolina never lets you get comfortable. One more thing. If this forecast helped you plan your Sunday, share it with someone who needs the warning. Bundle up tonight. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow. Stay safe, folks!