North Carolina Weather March 3 Midday - 42° Above Normal

Good afternoon. North Carolina. I'm Jack O'Malley. Folks, that stubborn wedge of cool air that's been camping over North Carolina? It's packing its bags. A Bermuda High is building off the coast right now. And it's about to crank the thermostat in a big way. In the next 24 hours. Step outside and you'll feel 56 degrees under partly cloudy skies. Pleasant enough. But this is just the opening act. Tonight, clouds stick around statewide. The Piedmont and Triangle dip to 47 degrees. Western North Carolina cools to 42. Watch for patchy fog developing in the foothills and south of I-85. That could gum up your Wednesday morning drive, so leave a few minutes early. Now Wednesday is where things get interesting. That southerly flow fires up. The Piedmont hits 74 degrees. The Triangle reaches 75. Western North Carolina climbs right alongside at 74 under mostly sunny skies. Fog lifts by mid morning. Wednesday night? Lows only drop to the mid 50s. That's sweater weather, not jacket weather. So what's driving all this? That Bermuda High parks offshore and pumps warm air straight up the coast. Thursday through Saturday, highs surge into the upper 70s to low 80s. We're talking 42 degrees above normal. Charlotte's record high for Thursday is 84 degrees. And we'll be knocking on that door. Rain stays away until Saturday afternoon when a front slides in from the west. Sunday and Monday bring the best shot at showers and maybe a rumble of thunder. One more thing worth stepping outside for tonight. Full moon rising after sunset. And we're gaining over two minutes of daylight each day now. Spring equinox is just two weeks out. I'll be tracking that record warmth all week. Stick with us. For the extended outlook, check the latest forecast as confidence improves. Take care! That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow.