We had a few emails asking what the weather was like a YEAR ago right about now. Many remember the thaw of last season. We got off to a very slow start last season and then right before Christmas we got a cold snap and then things went mild again. That’s not the case THIS season. We got off to a near perfect start, with early snows and cold, and then for the last two weeks or so, we’ve had very mild temps, followed by a timely cold snap or two, followed by mild temps.
It was COLD this morning in the valleys today with temps dipping to 23° here at our office and in Banner Elk, yet temps atop Beech only got as low as 41° . We’re going to see another mild day today as temps get up to near or AT 60° under sunny skies.
Last year at this time we were in the same temp area. Highs hit 57° . The record, however is 73° back in 2002, followed closely by some 70 degree temps back in 1937. The record low for January is 31°. That is MINUS 31°!
Our buddy, meteorologist Brad Panovich says this, “…keep your figures crossed as we may be seeing the major shift in the weather pattern we need to get some colder and snowier weather. On a side note, snowstorms have worked their way from Europe through Asia with the next stop North America so be patient my fellow skiers.”
Here’s the weather forecast:
Thursday…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 60s. South winds around 5 mph. Low tonight 39°
Friday…Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the morning…Then showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 50s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Lows dipping into the low to mid 20s should turn to SNOW late
Saturday…Mostly cloudy in the morning…Then becoming partly cloudy. A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Very windy. Much cooler with highs in the mid 30s. Northwest winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. Saturday night low near 21. Less wind Saturday Night.
Sunday…Mostly clear. Highs in the low to mid 40s. Lows in the mid to upper 20s.
Monday…Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 40s to lower 50s.