AUTUMN CHILL IN THE AIR

A weekend storm system is bringing some light rain to the region, and this same disturbance will also be the beginning of an autumn cool down. While not quite as cool in North Carolina, I had the chance to travel along the Blue Ridge Parkway to take in the tremendous autumn color as seen above.

Our weekend storm system will be followed by a reinforcing disturbance later this week, which will really send in the seasonally cool air Tuesday.

 This potent upper-level trough sends in the northwesterly wind behind a cold front Monday. Wind gusts could top 40mph with this. We may see wind advisories posted with the strongest gusts coming in starting near midday Monday and persisting through the evening.

MONDAY MORNING

TUESDAY MORNING

WEDNESDAY MORNING

THURSDAY MORNING

Temperatures will likely lead to widespread frost in the region as lows fall well into the 30s Wednesday and Thursday morning. Thursday morning will be the coldest air of the season for large swaths of the region with lows nearing freezing.

Frost and Freeze Advisories will likely be coming this week.

Seasonal temperatures next week will be in place, with highs in the upper 50s. There is some potential for a bit of a warm-up this coming weekend, with highs pushing back into the upper 60s to near 70. This might even be cooler with the NBM blend with some warmer temperatures possible. Just hard to get an autumn cooldown to completely stick.

Signals and analogs are pointing to another system early next week, with both the European and American GEFS ensembles showing prospects for above-normal precipitation. This is at quite the range, but it’s yet another chance for much-needed rainfall and a shot of cooler air once again building behind it. This will likely become the next weather maker worth watching in the mid/long range.

That'll do it for an unsettled Friday morning, with I up in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Another day of leaf peeping and hiking will be in store for tomorrow. Have a great rest of the weekend, friends.

-Meteorologist Nick Stewart