Time to batten down the hatches

A strong autumn cold front sweeping across the nation is approaching the western slopes of the Appalachian mountains as this post is being written. Ahead of the boundary today - Wednesday - will continue to be mild around Mecklenburg county. Temperatures will top out near 70 degrees this afternoon. There may be some breaks in the cloud cover later today but skies will remain mostly cloudy.

Light showers are likely late this afternoon as the front approaches, but total rainfall amounts will be at most a tenth of an inch. Southerly breezes will stick around for the daylight hours, but after the front passes the winds will quickly swap around out of the northwest. The boundary will swoosh across the county between 7 and 8 p.m. and wind speeds will sharply increase behind it.

This graphic shows forecast wind gusts (in mph) at 9 o'clock this evening. South Hill is circled in white:

By dawn Thursday temperatures will tumble into the mid-30s, and will only recover into the low 50s tomorrow afternoon despite sunny skies. Winds will be vigorous tomorrow, gusting over 20 mph as cooler air pours into the region. Thursday night will be chilly with lows dipping to near the freezing mark.

Friday looks to be dry and cool, with winds continuing to be gusty. The weekend? It'll be dry but noticeably cooler than the past few weekends.