After one of the coldest Februarys on record, the Cape Fear region rallied with the warmest, driest March in years.
Fayetteville hit 90 degrees on March 11, the earliest recorded 90 in weather history. The city set daily high-temperature records five times in the past month, while officially receiving barely an inch of rain (more than half of that coming on March 16).
Small wonder the region remains in a serious drought heading into April. There’s a chance of relief for both the heat and dry conditions arriving just after Easter.
Here’s the setup
A persistent Southeast ridge has pushed warm, dry air into the Carolinas. The flow has also suppressed any chance for showers, though isolated popcorn showers may appear in the Piedmont and along the Seabreeze Line below I-95. As a result, temperatures will remain in the mid-80s into the weekend, with lows of about 60.
The weekend
Saturday will likely be the warmest day of our recent warm spell. Southerly winds and sparse clouds will push Fayetteville into the upper 80s again. Clouds will build overnight with a morning low of about 65. Easter sunrise services will be dry and mild across the region…