North Carolina Weather March 5 Midday - Clear Skies

Good afternoon. North Carolina. I'm Aaron Jolly. Step outside right now and you'll feel something that has no business showing up in early March. We're sitting at 66 degrees. And this is just the warm-up act. In the next 24 hours. The Piedmont climbs to 78 this afternoon. That's nearly 47 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year. Over in the Triangle? You hit 79. Western North Carolina tops out at 76. Southwest winds gust to 20 miles an hour, keeping that mild air pumping in. Tonight barely cools off. Lows only drop to the upper 50s and low 60s statewide. That's warmer than some April nights. Partly cloudy skies stick around as Gulf moisture streams north. Friday cranks the heat even higher. Low 80s across most of the state. We're flirting with record territory here. Western North Carolina might see a few afternoon showers as deeper moisture arrives, but it's just a slight chance. Saturday mirrors Friday. Mostly sunny, highs near 80. And that same slight chance of mountain showers. Sunday brings the shift. A weakening front stalls right over central North Carolina. And that means likely showers and thunderstorms. Highs still reach the upper 70s despite cloudier skies. Rain chances run around 60 percent statewide. Monday keeps scattered showers around with highs near 77. Tuesday briefly dries out and heats back up to the low 80s. Wednesday ramps up rain chances again to 50 percent as another system rolls in. The bottom line? This is exceptionally warm for early March. Tonight's full moon rises under summer-like conditions. Enjoy the warmth while it lasts. For the extended outlook, check the latest forecast as confidence improves. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow.