North Carolina Weather March 4 Morning - 42° Above Normal

Good morning. North Carolina. I'm Aaron Jolly. That gray ceiling overhead is about to lift in spectacular fashion. We're sitting at 44 degrees right now under overcast skies, but the clouds will burn off quickly this morning. By afternoon, we surge to around 75 degrees — that's nearly 42 degrees above normal for early March. In the next 24 hours. If you're driving early, take it slow. Dense fog has settled over parts of the Coastal Plain and southeastern counties. Visibility could drop to a quarter mile in spots until around 9 A.M. The Triangle starts the morning with patchy fog before 8 A.M., then turns mostly sunny with a high near 75 degrees. The Piedmont reaches about 74 degrees under mostly sunny skies. Head west to the mountains and you'll see a high near 75 degrees as well. The only difference? Western North Carolina cools off more tonight, dropping to 49 degrees, while the central part of the state stays in the mid-50s. Tonight brings a full moon. If clouds cooperate, it'll be a bright one. Tomorrow we crank up the heat even more. Highs climb to 77 degrees across central North Carolina. We're flirting with record territory. Here's your five-day outlook. Thursday through Saturday look dry with highs climbing into the low 80s by Friday. That's more like May than March. Rain chances return Sunday and Monday as a front approaches, with showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Highs stay in the upper 70s to low 80s through early next week. Spring equinox is just two weeks away, but today? Today spring arrives early. For the extended outlook, check the latest forecast as confidence improves. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow.