Bundle up! It's going to be a cold overnight and morning
The rain -- and in some instances frozen precipitation -- that fell much of the day around the Triangle has moved out but it has been supplanted by bone-chilling temperatures that will stick around for the next several days.
Posted — UpdatedWRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said the overnight low temperature into Wednesday could flirt with breaking or tying a record low of 23 that was set back in 1977.
"Our wind chills in the morning will be in the teens so make sure you are dressed appropriately as you step out," he said. "The good news is we'll have sunshine to start the day and no rain."
Temperatures dropped below freezing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport around 9 p.m. Tuesday night and the mercury is not expected to rise above freezing for at least 13 hours.
"By the time we get to 10 a.m. or 11 a.m., we'll be above freezing," Maze said. "So, many cold hours to come."
The frigid weather is the result of a cold front from the Arctic that has sent temperatures -- and records -- plunging across a wide swath of the U.S.
According to forecasters, this system will usher in some of the coldest air of the season to the eastern half of the country, and it is expected to set new temperature records for mid-November.
Freezing weather is possible as far south to the Gulf Coast.
The high temperature in Chicago reached 17 degrees Tuesday afternoon, a record-cold high for the date, smashing the previous record of 28 degrees from 1995, according to forecasters. The high in St. Louis Tuesday afternoon was only 21 degrees, also shattering a record for the date of 34 degrees from 1940.
Maze said the cold weather will last through the start of next week.
"It's going to be a cold week," he said.
The high temperature is expected to reach the low 40s on Wednesday before plunging into the 20s into Thursday.
The high temperature on Thursday is expected to top out in the upper 40s, Maze said.
Another round of wet weather is expected Friday and it could stretch into Saturday.
Triangle residents shiver as cold air moves in
At Cameron Village near North Carolina State University Tuesday night, most of the outdoor tables were empty as customers rushed inside to find warmth.
"I walked in this morning to work and . . . I got outside and it was cold!" one worker at the shopping center said.
Several local school districts said they are taking extra precautions to deal with the blast of cold air.
- Wake County Public Schools says its crews will have extra batteries on hand in case bus batteries don’t work as expected tomorrow.
- Cumberland County Public Schools said they are not expecting any issues but will have extra staff available to address any concerns.
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