Warmth and dryness continues

There's not much new to talk about for current Mecklenburg county weather. High pressure parked over the East Coast is effectively blocking moisture and associated rainfall from crossing the Appalachians while keeping warm air over the area. Today - Wednesday - will feature high temperatures in the upper 70s, with this morning's cloud cover giving way to mostly sunny afternoon skies. That's about ten degrees above average for late October.

Thursday looks much the same, with morning lows in the upper 50s and afternoon temperatures again in the upper 70s. A few locales may see thermometers broach the 80 degree mark both tomorrow and Friday. On Friday a cold front will cross the area to end the work week, but no rain is expected with this boundary.

The lack of October rain is beginning to tell on the vegetation and soil moisture. This graphic shows the percentage of normal precipitation amounts over the past 30 days:

So far the weekly Drought Monitor hasn't shown any "Abnormally Dry" conditions locally, but that may change with the map due out on Thursday. The good news? Halloween trick-or-treaters will be able to wear their costumes without coats and jackets tomorrow evening!