Record High Set at RDU

The record high was broken Thursday at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The temperature reached 77 at 1:39pm this afternoon. The previous record was 76 set in 1998.

Another Mild Day

We didn't quite break any records Wednesday across central North Carolina, but we did come close. The high topped out at 75 yesterday at Raleigh-Durham. The record stands at 77 set in 2001. In the Triad, the high reach 70 compared to the record of 75 also set in 2001.

We have another chance to break a record today. Thursday's records stand at 76 set in 1998 for Raleigh-Durham and 74 set in 1991 for Greensboro. As of midday, we are very close to those records.

This unusually warm weather can't last forever. It is almost December, after all! Changing weather is on the horizon. Take a look at the cold air across the western United States --

Temperatures from midday Thursday.

Along the leading edge of that cold air we have quite a storm system marching across the United States. Some strong storms are possible this afternoon in parts of the southeast, and snow is falling from Texas to Oklahoma to Missouri.

Satellite/radar composite from midday Thursday.

This storm will not bring wintry weather to North Carolina, but it will bring rain for Friday with the chance for a few thunderstorms. If thunderstorms develop along the cold front, a few could produce gusty winds. Because of the small threat for damaging winds, the Storms Prediction Center has placed parts of North Carolina under a "slight risk" for severe weather.

Severe weather outlook for Friday.

We'll keep you posted through the day on Friday in the event any strong storms do form. Count on News 14 Carolina for the very latest weather information every 10 minutes with Weather on the Ones.

The cooler air arrives this weekend. While the coldest air won't makes its way into the Carolinas, we will notice a difference in the temperatures. Highs will only reach the 50s on Saturday and Sunday with morning lows in the 30s.

Enjoying the warm weather?

Midday temperatures from Wednesday.

As I write this blog post, the 1pm temperature at the Raleigh-Durham airport is 75 -- just 2 degrees away from the record high of 77. That record was set in 2001. We may end up putting 2006 in the record books for the high. We'll keep you posted.

While we are enjoying temperatures in the 70s this afternoon, Denver is in the teens! That colder air out west will eventually headed our way. We won't see temperatures nearly that cold, but by the weekend our afternoon temperatures will only top out in the 50s. By next week, morning lows could reach the upper 20s.

Before the cooler air arrives, showers and thunderstorms will move across the state on Friday. Some of the thunderstorms could produce gusty winds Friday midday through the afternoon.

Improving Weather

Much better weather is on the way through the rest of this extended holiday weekend. The coastal low that brought wet and windy weather to much of North Carolina is spreading rain across the northeastern U.S. this Thanksgiving, but is moving a long ways away from North Carolina. Sun will return for all of us Friday.

Here's a look back at rain totals from this week's Nor'easter--

• Fayetteville: 4.26"
• Lumberton: 3.21"
• Burlington: 3.16"
• Chapel Hill: 2.71"
• Raleigh-Durham: 2.71"
• Southern Pines: 2.67"
• Greensboro: 1.98"
• Winston-Salem: 1.43"

Now look for milder weather with highs climbing toward the upper 60s and near 70 by Sunday.

Snow in the Mountains

The first snow of the season can be seen in the mountains today --

Webcam image from Mount Mitchell around 2pm Monday.

Webcam image from Shining Rock Wilderness looking toward Cold Mountain around 2pm Monday.

Now our attention turns to the coastal low developing off the Carolina coast. Gale warnings are up along the Outer Banks. The forecast remains a very wet one leading into Thanksgiving for the eastern half of North Carolina. We'll keep you posted with the latest. Stay tuned to News 14 Carolina!

Snow Possible in the Mountains and a Coastal Storm Brewing

We have an interesting weather set up across North Carolina as we head into Thanksgiving week.

As I type this post, a snow advisory is in effect along the North Carolina-Tennessee border. The Smokey Mountains could see their first snowfall of the season. One to three inches of snow are possible late Sunday night and Monday morning in the higher elevations.

Elsewhere the big weather story this week in the state will be a coastal storm that could cause some problems as we get ready for the Thanksgiving holiday. This low pressure will develop off the South Carolina and Georgia coast Monday. The latest model data coming in this evening suggests this low may form closer to the coast than first indicated. This means more of an impact on our weather in the Triangle, the Sandhills, and possibly the Triad.

Here's a look at one computer model run by the State Climate Office of North Carolina for Tuesday night --

At this time, it appears rain will start spreading into our part of the state during the day Tuesday. With the low off our coast, our winds will come from the northeast keeping us cool and breezy. Afternoon temperatures will likely not make it out of the 40s on Tuesday.

The low will be slow to move away from the coast, so for now, rain is also in our forecast for Wednesday into early Thanksgiving. Wednesday will not be the best day for travel especially across the eastern half of the state. Rain, cool, and breezy conditions will not make for ideal travel conditions. Again on Wednesday, temperatures will likely only warm to the 40s.

The worst of the weather from this storm will come along our coastline, particularly along the Outer Banks where winds of 40mph or greater will be possible. Coastal flooding and erosion could be a problem.

Stay with News 14 Carolina this week for the latest developments on this coastal low. As always, we're the only place to turn for local weather updates every 10 minutes with Weather on the Ones.

Tornadoes in November

This week we had a clear reminder -- severe weather can happen any time of the year. Although we typically have more severe weather in the spring, there is really no "tornado season" like we have a "hurricane season."

In fact, some of the worst tornadoes in our state's recent history have occurred during the month of November.

If you lived in Raleigh in 1988, you'll remember the above event. An F4 tornado developed over Wake County the Sunday night/Monday morning after Thanksgiving. The tornado stayed on the ground for 84 miles traveling from north Raleigh to near the Virginia border. Four people were killed and 157 were injured. A K-Mart located off of Glenwood Avenue was just one of 78 businesses destroyed. 425 homes were destroyed. Over 2000 homes sustained some type of damage.

Another deadly tornado outbreak occurred in 1992. From the night of November 22 through the early morning of November 23, five tornadoes killed two people and injured 74 in North Carolina. During the 1992 outbreak, an F3 touched down near the I-40/85 split in Orange County and moved toward Hillsborough. Another F3 touched down near the Harnett/Johnston County line and moved northeast for 160 miles. That is the longest track tornado on record for North Carolina.

Unfortunately, we now have to add 2006 to the list of deadly November tornadoes in North Carolina.

Read more about November tornadoes in our state by clicking to these links --

• November 22-23, 1992 tornado outbreak
• November 28, 1988 Raleigh tornado

Thursday's Tornadoes

Photo courtesy Whiteville News Reporter

Columbus County tornado path. Graphic from National Weather Service - Wilmington.

The National Weather Service in Wilmington has released their official storm report on Thursday's tornado that killed 8 people in Riegelwood, North Carolina --

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC

530 PM EST FRI NOV 17 2006

...F3 TORNADO DAMAGE CONFIRMED AT RIEGELWOOD NC...

TODAY A NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STORM SURVEY TEAM ASSESSED THE TORNADO DAMAGE AT RIEGELWOOD...IN COLUMBUS COUNTY NC. THE DAMAGE WAS RATED AT F3 ON THE FUJITA SCALE FOR NEARLY A MILE IN RIEGELWOOD... WITH WINDS APPROACHING 200 MPH. THE MAXIMUM WIDTH OF THE TORNADO WAS 300 YARDS WHERE F3 DAMAGE OCCURRED. THE REST OF THE 7 MILE DAMAGE PATH WAS NARROW...LESS THAN 100 YARDS WIDE...AND RATED AT F1...WITH WINDS LESS THAN 100 MPH EXTENDING NORTH ACROSS COLUMBUS COUNTY INTO WESTERN PENDER COUNTY.

THE TORNADO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR 8 FATALITIES AND 20 INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL TREATMENT. THE COLUMBUS COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED 30 HOMES DESTROYED IN THE F3 DAMAGE AREA...AND ANOTHER 3 STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED IN PENDER COUNTY JUST WEST OF CURRIE.

THE TORNADO WAS SPAWNED FROM A LINE OF POWERFUL THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH A STRONG COLD FRONT THAT MOVED THROUGH THE CAROLINAS EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.

A TORNADO WARNING HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR EASTERN COLUMBUS COUNTY AT 629 AM...AND PRIOR TO THAT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING WAS ISSUED FOR THE SAME AREA AT 621 AM. NOAA WEATHER RADIOS IN THE AREA AUTOMATICALLY ALARMED FOR BOTH WARNINGS TO ALERT PEOPLE.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ENCOURAGES EVERYONE TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY...AS WELL AS YOUR FAMILY...AND PURCHASE A WEATHER RADIO FOR THE HOME OR BUSINESS. WHEN A WARNING IS ISSUED THE RADIO WILL AUTOMATICALLY ALARM...GIVING YOU PRECIOUS TIME TO PREPARE FOR A DANGEROUS SITUATION.

NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS IS THE ONLY GOVERNMENT RADIO SYSTEM THERE IS...AND IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY ALARM TO ALERT YOU TO A WIDE RANGE OF HAZARDS...OTHER THAN WEATHER.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS...PLEASE GO TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV

More news from Thursday's severe weather:

• Teams assess tornado damage
• Tornado kills 8 in Columbus County
• Heavy rains cause pile up on I-540
• Middle school student injured when closing window
• Iredell County tornado

Stormy Weather Possible Thursday Morning

Today's big weather story across the country -- severe weather in the South where there have been numerous reports of damaging winds and even a few tornadoes.

The above image is a map of storm reports from the Storms Prediction Center (www.spc.noaa.gov) as of Wednesday evening. the blue dots represent damaging wind reports and the red dots represent tornado reports.

We could see more reports of severe weather late tonight through tomorrow as this storm system moves toward the Carolinas.

Here in central North Carolina, strong to severe thunderstorms are a possibility Thursday morning into the midday hours. It appears the greatest threat will come from 4am through 3pm. Damaging winds and even a few isolated tornadoes will be a threat in the strongest storms.

At this point, we cannot say for certain that severe weather will happen Thursday. However, it is a possibility and now is the time to make sure you are prepared in the event that severe weather sweeps through the region.

We'll be here in the Weather on the Ones forecast center with the latest updates through the morning. Be sure to tune in for up to the minute weather information. If you experience severe weather in your neighborhood Thursday, let us know by e-mailing weather@news14.com

Tuesday's Rain Totals

In Joshua's blog post yesterday, he asked if you were voting for sunshine. That may have been the only unanimous vote from Election Day! That sunshine is eventually on the way along with warmer temperatures for Thursday and Friday. Afternoon temperatures look to reach the upper 70s in some spots Friday!

The clouds are sticking around today though, and we stand the chance to see a few spotty showers this afternoon. However, we shouldn't see the widespread rain that we saw yesterday.

Here's a look at rain totals from Tuesday through early Wednesday morning --

• Raleigh-Durham: 2.44"
• Clayton: 2.39"
• Lumberton: 2.05"
• Chapel Hill: 2.00"
• Fayetteville: 1.99"
• Erwin: 1.55"
• Southern Pines: 1.40"
• Henderson-Oxford: 1.21"
• Rocky Mount-Wilson: 1.17"
• Reidsville: 1.08"
• Greensboro: 0.93"
• Goldsboro: 0.87"
• Burlington: 0.82"
• Winston-Salem: 0.70"
• Asheboro: 0.62"
• Lexington: 0.54"

Voting for More Sunshine?

This Election Day has been a total washout region wide as heavy rain is making for a dreary afternoon. A large upper level system is driving moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic over North Carolina. Moisture in the form of clouds and rain will continue into tonight as rain totals exceed an inch in some spots.

Our parent website News14.com has an interesting story about weather and elections. It seems some believe overall turnout could reach low levels not seen since the 1920's in North Carolina! Also, if you're in the mood to cast a vote we've got a News 14 SnapPoll on the right hand column of the same page asking, "Which party will control Congress after tonight?" Be sure to add your thoughts on this hot topic.

I'll be hitting the voting booth tonight after work on the way home. I sure hope I'm able to get in and out quickly, but I won't be the least bit upset if I have to wait to cast my vote.

Looking ahead to tomorrow in the weather department you'll will find a better day, but a slight chance to see another round of showers and a possible storm. The same upper level system has some cooler air transfered higher in the atmosphere. As the sun breaks out Wednesday the ground will warm causing air to rise in this cooled air above. As this warmer air rises is won't be slowed by the cooler parcels, so clouds with rain and with an isolated storm is not out of the question.

Record Cold Sunday

Temperatures dropped into the 20s across central North Carolina this Sunday morning, and that was cold enough to break the record low at the Raleigh-Durham Airport. The old record of 27 was set in 1995. This morning the low dropped to 25.

Here's a look at Sunday morning lows from around the region --

• Southern Pines: 21
• Burlington: 22
• Chapel Hill: 24
• Louisburg: 25
• Smithfield: 25
• Greensboro: 26
• Lumberton: 26
• Rocky Mount-Wilson: 27
• Asheboro: 27
• Erwin: 27
• Lexington: 27
• Mount Airy: 27
• Fayetteville: 28
• Goldsboro: 28
• Winston-Salem: 29

Although Monday morning will be cold, it won't be quite as cold as the last couple of mornings. Lows are forecast to drop to the mid 30s around daybreak. Some outlying area may reach the low 30s.

Milder weather is ahead for the new week. Afternoon highs should reach the 70s by midweek.

Saturday Morning Lows

One word to describe the weather early this morning -- COLD! Many neighborhoods recorded the coldest temperatures so far this season. Here's a look at Saturday morning lows from around the region --

• Southern Pines: 23
• Burlington: 26
• Chapel Hill: 26
• Lumberton: 26
• Louisburg: 27
• Mount Airy: 27
• Rocky Mount-Wilson: 27
• Erwin: 28
• Greensboro: 28
• Raleigh-Durham: 28
• Smithfield: 28
• Winston-Salem: 28
• Asheboro: 30
• Goldsboro: 30
• Lexington: 30
• Fayetteville: 31

We're in store for another cold one tonight. By Sunday morning, we are likely to be back in the upper 20s to near 30.

Freeze Warning for Saturday Morning

Hope you were able to dig the heavy coat out of the closet this morning. If not, you'll want to find it as our chilly weather will continue through the weekend.

Here's a look at lows from Friday morning from around the region:

• Louisburg: 28
• Chapel Hill: 29
• Asheboro: 30
• Mount Airy: 30
• Raleigh-Durham: 32
• Rocky Mount-Wilson: 32
• Greensboro: 33
• Winston-Salem: 33
• Burlington: 34
• Goldsboro: 34
• Smithfield: 34
• Southern Pines: 34
• Fayetteville: 36
• Lexington: 37
• Lumberton: 37

Saturday morning's lows will likely be colder than Friday. We should all have temperatures below freezing for at least a few hours early Saturday morning. A Freeze Warning has been posted for much of the region.

Here's the official word from the National Weather Service --

1102 AM EST FRI NOV 3 2006

...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM EST SATURDAY...

A WIDESPREAD HARD FREEZE IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA. LOWS TONIGHT WILL DROP INTO THE MID AND UPPER 20S LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.

A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER SENSITIVE VEGETATION.

Tracking Cooler Temperatures

We all have enjoyed warm fall weather the last few days, but that warm weather is quickly coming to an end.

Yesterday many of us recorded highs well into the 70s --

• Asheboro: 79
• Fayetteville: 79
• Henderson-Oxford: 79
• Lexington: 79
• Lumberton: 79
• Smithfield: 79
• Burlington: 77
• Erwin: 77
• Louisburg: 77
• Raleigh-Durham: 77
• Rocky Mount-Wilson: 77
• Southern Pines: 77
• Chapel Hill: 76
• Greensboro: 76
• Mount Airy: 75
• Winston-Salem: 75

Temperatures near 70 are likely again today in the Sandhills while the rest of us will see highs in the 70s.

From our forecast high temperature map, you'll notice the cooler temperatures to our north and west. That cooler air is settling into North Carolina and that will lead to a chilly Friday and a cool weekend. After a starting the morning in the 30s, highs tomorrow afternoon should not get any warmer than the low 50s. Then the really cold temperatures will come late Friday night and early Saturday morning as lows drop to the upper 20s.

Don't forget to bring those sensitive plants inside today and make sure your pets have a warm place to stay!

Is it really November?

With temperatures in the 70s this afternoon, it doesn't feel much like the first day of November. At 1pm today, it was 77 in Fayetteville, 74 in Raleigh, and 72 in Greensboro. Compare that to normal highs in the mid to upper 60s this time of year.

Of course the warmer than normal November weather can't last forever. We're already tracking cooler weather that is headed our way for the end of the work week and the weekend. Here's a look at forecast highs across the country this Wednesday:
You'll notice highs in the upper 30s to 40s from Minneapolis to Chicago to Kansas City. That cold air will make a push toward the east coast as a cold front moves our way late tonight and tomorrow.
Our highs by the end of the week won't be quite that cold, but we expect highs only in the mid 50s and lows in the 30s for Friday and Saturday.

By the way, that front that will move through the Carolinas late tonight and early tomorrow won't have much moisture to work with. That means we do not expect much in the way of rain from this system. We may just see a few sprinkles in the early morning hours Thursday.

Plenty of sunshine is the forecast through the weekend, just keep those cooler temperatures in mind.