It's "Winds" Day

Today's (Wednesday's) conditions hearken back to a specific children's story dealing with a "Blustery Day".  An increase in pressure gradient ahead of an approaching cold front will boost wind speeds as today progresses, with breezes gusting up to 25 mph. Sunshine and a southerly wind direction will help temperatures top out at or near 70º this afternoon. 

That boundary will pass through Mecklenburg County during the wee hours of Thursday morning, swapping winds around out of the north before dawn. Local thermometers, which will begin the day in the upper 40s, will climb into the low 60s after the lunch hour under continued sunny skies. The wind won't be as brisk tomorrow, calming to a light breeze by late afternoon.

Despite the relatively warm air temperatures there is a cautionary note about the effects of cool water on the human body. Here's the most recent water temperature graph for Buggs Island Lake / Kerr Reservoir showing the decreasing trend: 

Now, here's a NOAA/NWS graphic showing the dangers of hypothermia associated with water temperatures below 70º:

This is a risk that boaters venturing out on the cooling lake waters should heed. It may not be obvious, but getting wet this time of year may not be fun!