More subfreezing temps on the way

Growing season in Fayetteville officially ended at 6 a.m. Thursday morning.

That’s when the temperature at the airport dropped below 32 degrees for the first time since March 21. Everyone in the region down to central Columbus County hit freezing, with Southern Pines/Pinehurst crashing to 21 degrees.

Safe to say, plants aren’t coming back from that.

The season’s first Arctic outburst returned Friday morning, with more subfreezing numbers likely. And we can look forward to a warming trend through the weekend.

It’s been increasingly dry as well. Fayetteville picked up less than 1.25 inches of rain in October, and some spots in the region got less than an inch overall. That has pushed the entire Cape Fear region into abnormally dry conditions with the western half in a moderate drought.

The weekend

Saturday looks warmer as a more zonal flow reaches the region. Highs will return to a more seasonal upper-60s, then perhaps hit 70 on Sunday. Lows both nights should hold in the mid-40s.

Down the road

Next week looks warmer with continued moderation of the air over the Carolinas. Fayetteville will see mid-toupper 70s through Wednesday. After that, an approaching front will close in on the region — but there’s no certainty it will have enough punch to get here. Clouds and a slim chance of showers seem a safe bet, but no major cool-down is expected.

In the tropics

All is quiet as we begin the last month of hurricane season. Some minor activity is out there, but there’s nothing to fret about.

Have a great weekend!

Got a weather question? Chick Jacobs can be reached at ncweatherhound@gmail.com or NCWeatherhound on X/Twitter.