A shallow but intensely cold layer of air southeast of a strong high pressure center settle over the region this weekend, with two consecutive mornings that brought a few hours of sub-freezing temperatures, effectively ending the 2006 growing season. This mean we will see no additional frost advisories or freeze warnings from the National Weather Service at least until we pass into the 2007 growing season next spring. The first round of "killing frost" if you will occurred on Nov 4, which is pretty close to the long-term average date for our area of Nov 7th. Of course, there is a lot of variablility in that date from year to year.
The air was cold enough to set a new record at the Raleigh-Durham airport this weekend. Since official records began there in the 1940s, this Saturday brought one of the lowest recorded high temperatures for Nov 4, at 50 degrees. This missed by two degrees the previous lowest max for the date, which was 48 degrees in 1998. Half a day or so later we set a new record low temperature for Nov 5, as the mercury fell to 25 degrees Sunday morning, surpassing the previous low for that day of 27 back in 1995. Temperatures have moderated a little since then, and it's possible some of us will surpass 70 degrees on one or two afternoons later this week.
