Sunny and mild to begin Thanksgiving week

Today - Monday - looks to be the mildest weather day of the next couple of weeks for Mecklenburg county. Sunny skies and light winds will allow temperatures to soar into the upper 60s this afternoon after morning lows near the freezing mark. An area of clouds will move in from the southwest during the late afternoon hours.

Overnight more clouds will move in ahead of a relatively weak and dry cold front. That cloud cover plus a warm southwesterly breeze will keep temperatures from dropping much below 50 degrees by dawn Tuesday. A few showers will develop ahead of and along the boundary itself, which will move across the county by mid-morning tomorrow. Precipitation totals will be scanty, with perhaps a tenth of an inch accumulating in local rain gauges.

The air behind this next front isn't very cold, so Tuesday afternoon will feature another day with highs in the upper 60s. Northwesterly breezes will stir the air somewhat, but they won't be anywhere near as strong as last week's gales. Calmer air and mostly clear skies Tuesday night will lead to Wednesday morning lows near the freezing mark again.

The dryness of the past couple of months is illustrated in this graphic:

Note that the eastern two-thirds of Mecklenburg county has seen less rain than western portions. That will likely change later this week as a powerful storm system looks to soak the entire area on Thanksgiving Day. Much colder air will follow that event, so enjoy the warmth of the early week period!