Another brief taste of autumn

Mecklenburg County temperatures at this point in September range from morning lows in the mid-60s to afternoon maxima in the mid-80s. Both yesterday and today (Wednesday) the morning lows dipped to near the 60º mark, thanks to drier air and clear skies overnight. The "winner" in this morning's autumn temperature reminder was Clarksville, with 59º registering on a local thermometer.

Unfortunately for cool weather lovers this brief taste of autumn won't last. The high pressure system which brought the lower humidity and temperatures is moving off the coast today, opening the door for warmer and moister air to return. This graphic shows the afternoon highs expected across the lower 48 states today, with the yellow and red shadings indicating above average temperatures:

Locally, highs today will climb back to near the 90º mark under sunny skies. Tonight, thermometers will drop only into the upper 60s thanks to higher humidity holding in the day's warmth. Thursday will then remind folks of August's heat, with afternoon highs reaching the mid-90s along with breezy southwesterly winds.

By Friday afternoon the next cold front will be close enough to trigger showers and storms as the weekend approaches. The next blog post will take a closer look at the overall weekend weather.