Chilly midweek temperatures will climb as the weekend nears

Monday's severe weather outcome proved to be difficult to forecast. Several factors were in play, with one being more rain showers across the Piedmont early Monday morning than expected. That precipitation robbed the available instability ("storm fuel") and complicated the setup at the last minute. I'll leave the detailed explanations to the professional meteorologists, but suffice it to say that even Sunday evening things still looked grim. 

There was a weak EF0 tornado verified by NWS Blacksburg in Martinsville - not shown on the graphic below -, but the widespread tornado potential thankfully didn't manifest. Still, there were a myriad of wind damage reports as the cold front itself blasted through Monday evening.

Power outages occurred as a result of these winds, with many Halifax County residents dealing with no electricity as temperatures plummeted behind the front. 

Today (Wednesday) began under somewhat cloudy skies around Mecklenburg County, with pre-dawn temperatures diving into the mid- and upper 20s. High pressure is in control of East Coast weather today, and skies will gradually clear after the lunch hour. Winds will be light, and local thermometers look to top out in the upper 40s this afternoon. That's fifteen degrees below the average at this point in March.

Thursday will begin similarly, with early morning temperatures again dropping into the mid-20s. Tomorrow will then begin a warmup as that high pressure center moves off the coast. Winds will turn around out of the south and usher in warmer air. Afternoon highs will climb to near the 60º mark under mostly sunny skies. Friday through Sunday then appears to bring back a taste of late spring, with 80º possible by the end of the weekend!