North Carolina Weather March 4 Midday - 49° Above Normal

Good afternoon. North Carolina. I'm Aaron Jolly. Step outside and you might think the calendar is playing tricks on you. We're sitting at 76 degrees right now under clear skies. That's nearly 49 degrees above normal for early March. The overnight low of 44 degrees already feels like a distant memory. In the next 24 hours. Here's what's happening across the state. The Piedmont reaches 75 degrees this afternoon with mostly sunny skies. The Triangle is the warm spot at 76 degrees. Western North Carolina also hits 75 with a bit more cloud cover. Tonight, temperatures only dip to around 55 degrees in the Piedmont and Triangle, while the mountains cool to 49. Thursday brings more of the same warmth. Patchy fog may develop between 7 and 9 A.M., especially from the Triangle southward. Give yourself a few extra minutes for the commute. Highs climb to 76 in the Piedmont, 79 in the Triangle. And 76 out west. The five-day outlook? We stay in this unseasonably warm pattern through the weekend. Highs hold in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees — roughly 49 degrees to 49 degrees above what we'd expect. Rain chances creep in Friday afternoon and increase over the weekend. Sunday looks to be the wettest day with showers and thunderstorms likely. Tonight's full moon will be something to see with those clear skies. We're gaining over two minutes of daylight each day now. And the spring equinox is just two weeks away. Although honestly, spring seems to have arrived early. For the extended outlook, check the latest forecast as confidence improves. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow.