Forecast Last Updated at Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 12:18PM

Majorly Mild Today, Majorly Cold by Thursday

And you thought yesterday was nice...

There is not a fly in the ointment today. No big wind, no significant cloud cover, just unseasonably mild air and lots of sunshine. A White Legs Warning is in effect through 7pm tonight.

Mother Natures is being a people pleaser this week and is throwing around everything and the kitchen sink. So if you have spring fever, today is your day, if you are longing for more snow, hold on until tomorrow evening. SPOILER ALERT! Obviously, major changes are in store Wednesday including light snow accumulations at night. We'll go from seasonably warm to unseasonably cold in a handful of hours tomorrow afternoon and evening. Read more below for the details...

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Tuesday Hi: 70 Lo: 46 Clouds increase late; Pleasant temperatures; Rain possible late Tues. night; West wind 10-15 mph

Wednesday Hi: 61 Lo: 17 Cloudy; Showers (maybe some thunder); Turning much colder in the PM; Precip changing to snow showers late day & at night; Wind: AM SW 10-20 mph, becoming NW 15-25 mph with gusts to 60 mph Wed. night

Thursday Hi: 34 Lo: 20 Early flurries; Then clearing; Very cold; Blustery; NW wind 20-30 mph with gusts to 40 mph

Friday Hi: 52 Lo: 33 Sunny early; Clouds moving in late; Less cold by afternoon

Saturday Hi: 55 Lo: 33 Partly to mostly cloudy; Not bad

Further Out

Sunday - Cloudy; Cool for mid-March; Spotty daytime light rain changing to light snow at night; High in the lower 50s; Low in the upper 20s
Monday - Cloudy & chilly; Light snow early changing to light rain; High in the upper 40s; Low in the upper 20s

Forecast Discussion

Today is ridiculously nice. Temperatures will run about 15 degrees above normal, just a few degrees shy of record levels. Clouds increase late this afternoon and evening ahead of two storm systems, one passing to our north, the other to our south. That doesn't mean we dodge the bullet, it just means we don't take a direct hit.

It is the northern area of low pressure moving from the Central Plains crossing the Ohio Valley and exiting through New England that has more of an impact on our weather. Light rain breaks out overnight as temperatures remain very mild. Rain showers increase tomorrow, especially in the afternoon with isolated thunderstorms possible. Temps stay above normal, but not in the same ballpark as today. A powerful cold front blasts through western NC by mid afternoon crashing temperatures on the order of 20-30 degrees in a few short hours. Snow showers, which will be intense for a short while, ensue by the evening along with powerful wind gusts in the 50-60 mph range. Weather wise, it will be a very fascinating and dramatic few hours. Snow accumulations range in the 1"-3" territory with the higher end favoring westward facing slopes and mountaintops. "About an inch" will be more common around Boone. Snow tapers off early Thursday morning.

Thursday is extremely cold for mid-March with many locations not even reaching freezing for afternoon high temperatures. Friday through the weekend will be more representative of this time of the year. Temperatures rebound to seasonal levels for a few short days. Another cool down and more light snow, or a mix of snow and rain, is possible Sunday night into Monday. It is still a little ways out so there are a few question marks, but the common denominator is an active pattern through next week.

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