Weather Permitting: No snow, but plenty of rain in Fayetteville this weekend
If you lived in the Cape Fear region 50 years ago, you remember what you were doing — or not doing — on this date.
A surprisingly fierce storm roared up from the southwest, encasing Fayetteville in an 8-inch concrete of snow and ice that didn't melt away for days. Further south, in Bladen and Robeson counties, totals topped a foot, stranding travelers along the still-unfinished I-95. More than 1,000 stranded visitors were housed in the old National Guard Armory and the auditorium. Winds up to 50 mph created snow drifts up to 6 feet high near the coast, and the airport at RDU was shut down for two days.
Things look a bit more benign, if wet, across the region this weekend. Earlier hints of a winter storm have faded, and Fayetteville can look forward (if that's the word) to dreary, gusty, cold rain. Totals could easily top 2 inches by late Sunday.
That's great news for the ongoing dry spell across the region — but you can't sled on rain.
Here's the setup
Thursday is the last day of warm, pleasant conditions across the Carolinas. Fayetteville will see a high of about 75, with a brisk southwest wind and building clouds after sunset. The clouds will keep lows from sliding below 60 degrees.
Friday will begin with clouds and scattered light rain, becoming more widespread throughout the day. A cold front will struggle to push through the region, finally arriving after sunset. Highs will hold in the upper 60s, and sunshine will be hard to find. Temperatures slide overnight to the upper 40s.
Saturday looks like more of the same. Clouds and rain will persist as a strong cutoff low begins to advance from the Deep South. Temperatures are a bit tricky, given the location of the cold front, but Fayetteville will probably struggle to top 50 degrees.
The main story will be wind: a biting northeast wind cranking up Saturday morning and lasting into Sunday. The low Saturday night will probably hold at about 40 degrees, but with that wind, it'll feel more like 25.
On Sunday, low pressure sweeps through the state, bringing more rain and just generally miserable conditions. Originally, it was thought that the low might bring wintry conditions to parts of the region. However, the track should be further west than originally thought, and it's about impossible for such a track to produce snow over this neck of the woods.
Instead, Fayetteville can look for howling northeast winds, pelting cold rain and highs in the mid-40s. The rain will ease up toward sunset, with clouds departing overnight.
When it's all said and done, the region could easily see 2 inches of rain, with more to the south. Closer to the coast, 3-4 inches isn't out of the question.
Down the road
The good news is by Monday, things will have calmed down. The southeast ridge begins to rebuild, and Fayetteville can expect sunshine and a high near 60. Valentine's Day will be pleasant, with a high of about 62. By mid-week, it's possible we could see 70 degrees again.
After that, another system approaches, with a chance of showers.
Keep the umbrella handy this weekend!
Got a weather question? Chick Jacobs can be reached at ncweatherhound@gmail.com or NCWeatherhound on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville, NC weather for Super Bowl weekend
