ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The first week of August has brought unusually cool temperatures to Western North Carolina and surrounding areas, with several cities setting or approaching records, according to the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg.
Greenville-Spartanburg has experienced its coldest start to August on record. Asheville recorded its fifth-coldest and Charlotte its second-coldest, as a lingering cold-air damming pattern kept daytime highs below average throughout the region.
The cooler-than-usual conditions are expected to continue into the weekend, with Saturday forecast to be mostly sunny and a high near 82 degrees in the Asheville area. Patchy fog is expected before 9 a.m., followed by calm winds shifting to east-southeast at 5 to 7 mph.
Overnight lows will remain mild, with temperatures around 62 degrees Saturday night under partly cloudy skies.
On Sunday, a slight warmup is expected as the cold wedge pattern begins to break down. Highs will again reach the low 80s, with increasing humidity and a 30 percent chance of afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. Rain chances continue into Sunday night, with lows near 65.
Meteorologists said a shift in the weather pattern is expected by late Sunday into next week as high pressure moves offshore and southeast winds bring deeper moisture into the region. This will usher in a more typical summer pattern for the Carolinas, including daily chances of afternoon and evening storms.
For the latest forecasts, visit weather.gov/gsp.
