This weekend’s forecast is warm, dry weather. But that’s bad news for North Carolina’s ongoing drought.
The good news: Fayetteville and the Cape Fear region will be looking at a warm, dry weekend.
The bad news: Fayetteville and the Cape Fear region will be looking at a warm, dry weekend.
It will be a great weekend for outdoor activity, with temperatures in the 80s and plenty of sunshine. That forecast, though, is bad news for the continuing drought that is slowly choking the Carolinas.
[Editor’s Note: Most of North Carolina is experiencing a moderate to extreme drought right now, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.]
Since Jan. 1, Fayetteville hasn’t seen a stretch this dry in 45 years. The airport has officially collected 5.7 inches of rain. That’s a little more than half of the usual total (10 inches). The all-time lowest total for this period came in 1981, 4.98 inches.
The outlook for at least the next week looks dry, as well. With no real shot at anything beyond sparse showers through mid-April, things will stay dry.
Here’s the setup
Persistent high pressure continues to dominate weather in the Carolinas. We’re under the sway of a strong, dry western flow, with warming temperatures and low moisture. This setup will build over the Cape Fear region, pushing daytime highs into the upper 70s Friday. Lows will be about 52 in Fayetteville.
The weekend
Short and sweet, it will be warm and dry across the region. Look for highs in the mid-80s, lows in the upper 50s. Sunday afternoon may see isolated showers developing along the Sea Breeze Line south of I-95, but it will be meager relief for drought.
Next week
The warmest days will come early in the week. Fayetteville should flirt with record highs on Wednesday (93 in 1922) with well-above normal temperatures persisting through the week. A weak front pushing south after that may increase clouds, but for now, it doesn’t look like it will reach our region.
Have a great weekend!
Reporting by Chick Jacobs, Correspondent / The Fayetteville Observer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
