Weather Permitting: Here's your Thanksgiving week forecast for the Fayetteville area
The Cape Fear region will see widespread rain for the first time in weeks as a strong front pushes through Tuesday. Conditions will clear in plenty of time for Thanksgiving, however.
Holiday travel could be a bit messy for those with early plans. However, by late Wednesday, skies will clear with seasonal temperatures.
Here's the setup
With the Cape Fear regions becoming increasingly parched, any rainfall is welcome. A potent storm system to our north should provide a bit of relief, possibly as early as Tuesday.
The heart of this storm system will stay to our north, dragging a frontal boundary through the mountains. Ahead of the system, a warm front will climb through the Carolinas, sending warmer, unstable air into the Cape Fear region. As a result, there's a meager chance for scattered showers Tuesday afternoon, with highs in Fayetteville in the upper 60s.
Shower chances increase Tuesday night, with the potential for thunder and blustery southwest winds across the region. There's also a slim chance some storms will bring gusty winds. To the east, there's a non-zero chance of a quick spin-up tornado if conditions permit.
Rain totals will be higher in the Piedmont, with the heaviest rain late Tuesday into early Wednesday. Local totals could top an inch, depending on how long it takes the system to push through.
Rain will taper off Wednesday morning, ending in Fayetteville before lunch. Winds will swing back to the northwest, holding highs in the mid-60s. Look for lows in town of about 42, with upper 30s to the north and west.
Thanksgiving will dawn clear and cool, about 40 degrees in Fayetteville. The day will be sunny and seasonal, with highs in the upper 50s to 60 degrees and a light north-to-northeast wind. Lows should dip to about 45 with some cloud cover.
The weekend
Black Friday has some clouds and a meager chance of rain thanks to a passing offshore low. Right now, it looks like the low will remain too far offshore to pose any problems. Temperatures will reach 60 in Fayetteville.
Saturday and Sunday appear a bit cloudy but dry. Look for highs of about 60 both days, with lows near 40.
Down the road
Another chance of showers appears likely by Tuesday-Wednesday, but temperatures won't be anywhere close enough for frozen precipitation — just cold rain.
In the tropics
Things are winding down as hurricane season ends. There are a few interesting spots, but conditions are simply too hostile to anticipate development.
Got a weather question? Chick Jacobs can be reached at ncweatherhound@gmail.com or NCWeatherhound on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville, NC weather forecast for Thanksgiving 2023
