Mild Friday, then colder and damp Saturday

This Friday morning began with several Mecklenburg County thermometers dipping to the upper 20s. Under sunny skies and much tamer winds afternoon highs will climb into the mid-50s, a few degrees above the early January average. That's the bright spot for temperatures over the next few days.

Clouds will roll in tonight ahead of a "southern slider" storm, which at the moment is taking shape over eastern Texas. That system will "slide" eastward across the Gulf Coast states tonight, bringing rain to Mecklenburg County by Saturday afternoon. Cloudy skies and easterly winds will combine to hold down tomorrow's high temperatures to 40º, with up to a quarter-inch of rain expected by the time precipitation ends Saturday evening:

A few spots near and north of U.S. Route 460 could see a wintry mix tomorrow, but the temperature profile in Mecklenburg County should keep all the precipitation as plain liquid rain.

By dawn on Sunday skies will have cleared and temperatures will again drop into the upper 20s. The latter weekend day will then feature sunshine with highs in the upper 40s. Winds look to remain light out of the north for a decently pleasant first Sunday of 2026.