WRAL Investigates the local emergency plan for a potential train derailment disaster, and asks why we’re left in the dark about the hazardous materials traveling through the Triangle.

On WRAL at 6: Hidden dangers on the rails: WRAL investigates the local emergency plan for a potential train derailment disaster

Intense smoke blanketed the northeastern United States for a second day Wednesday, turning the air a yellowish gray and prompting warnings for people to stay inside and keep windows closed. The smoke was flowing from dozens of wildfires in several Canadian provinces.

Air pollution cloaks eastern US for a second day. Here's why there is so much smoke

Canada_Wildfires_New_York_30524

In the wake of tragic and traumatic events, feelings like stress, anxiety, grief and depression are natural. Here is a list of crisis counseling and county-by-county resources in North Carolina, as well as nationally. These resources are available for you -- just call. 

Get Help: County-by-county guide to mental health and crisis resources in NC

 Mental health graphic

All assets associated with the tag: frost

Frost Coverage

The on-and-off cold spells going on right now in North Carolina are particularly dangerous for some crops.

Moore County peach farmers worry that on-and-off cold temps could hurt crop

Moore County famrers concerned over cold temps damaging peaches

Page Farms in Raleigh will not open to the public for strawberry picking on Wednesday as farmers "babysit" and monitor their crops, which draw crowds to the farm each spring.

Raleigh farmers babysit strawberry crops during Wednesday morning frost advisory

Strawberries

Raleigh beat a record set in 1986 on Friday morning when temperatures plunged to 31 degrees. 

Raleigh beats record low set back in 1986

The overnight low will reach the mid-20s, 26 degrees in Raleigh, specifically, and 23-24 in some of the more rural areas from 2 a.m. until 9 a.m.

Another freeze awaits tonight, but pleasant Easter weekend awaits 

Hard freeze warning 

Temperatures will fall throughout Thursday morning, starting off in the 40s by sunrise. It will be even colder Friday, when the viewing area goes under a freeze warning.



Triangle under Hard Freeze Warning overnight Friday

Freeze warning for Friday, April 2, 2021

As the climate changes, the date of the first frost has shifted to later in November.

TEMPERATURES AND I AM JOINED NOW BY METEOROLOGIST PETA SHEERWOOD . >> IN TERMS OF WHERE WE SHOULD BE FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR, WE SHOULD SEE THE FIRST FREEZE AROUND OCTOBER 21, BUT WE DO SEE IT A LITTLE BIT LATER THIS YEAR. IN TERMS OF THE FIRST FROST IT IS COMING IN AROUND 12 DAYS LATER. LET'S CHECK OUT THE LONGER U.S. GROWING SEASON. YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS IS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. THE GROWING SEASON IS EXTENDING ABOUT TWO WEEKS LONGER AND WE SEE THIS DATA COMPARED TO THE 20th CENTURY AND NOW. AS WE GET A LONGER GROWING SEASON, WE COULD POTENTIALLY SEE A REDUCTION IN THE QUALITY AND

Triangle's first frost comes later, lengthening allergy, growing seasons

Average first fall freeze

WRAL meteorologist Zach Maloch has more on the frost warnings in effect for some areas of central North Carolina Saturday night and the warming trend that will follow.

<p>WHEN YOU CAN VOTE RIGHT NOW ONLINE AT WRAL.COM. &gt;&gt;&gt; TURNING TO OUR WEATHER NOW, IT WAS AN AMAZING DAY OUT THERE. WISH I COULD BE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW, ZACH. IT'S INCREDIBLE WITH THIS FALL TEMPERATURE. &gt;&gt; IT IS PERFECT. WE ARE SEEING TEMPERATURE INS THE LOW 60s . THEY WILL BE DROPPING FAST THROUGH THE EVENING. EXPECT ANOTHER CHILLY NIGHT TONIGHT. PORTIONS OF OUR NORTH WESTERN COMMUNITIES URN A FROST ADVISORY. SOME PATCHY FROST CAN BE POSSIBLE. PLEASANT SUNDAY UNDERWAY. A MOSTLY SUNNY SKY. AFTER THE CHILLY START, A WARMER AFTERNOON. AND YOU WILL LOVE THAT LOOKING FORWARD. NOW, WE WILL HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE TROPICS. AN AREA FOR POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT. MORE ON THAT IS COMING UP. &gt;&gt;&gt; SPEAKING OF A LOVELY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A FIREPLACE FORECAST. I LIT MINE LAST NIGHT WITH TEMPERATURES DROPING FROM THE 50s TO THE 40s . IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY PLANS MAYBE LIGHTING A FIRE TONIGHT WILL BE IN ORDER WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING TO THE 40s . THE LOWER 40s TOMORROW MORNING. YOU'LL WAKE UP TOMORROW MORNING IN ROXBORO, YOU START AT 36 DEGREES. FAYETTEVILLE, 43. AREAS NORTH AND WEST OF THE TRIANGLE WILL BE COLDER. THAT IS WHY THAT FROST ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR MIDNIGHT TONIGHT UNTIL 9:00 A.M. TOMORROW MORNING. I WANT TO MENTION IF YOU GET FROST ON YOUR CARS OR OUTDOORS, MAKE SURE YOU SNAP A PICTURE AND SEND IT TO US HERE. I'M SURE SHE WOULD PUT THAT ON THE AIR TOMORROW MORNING. TOMORROW AFTERNOON, I MENTIONED IT WOULD BE WARMER. MOSTLY SUNNY SKY. HIGHS MID TO UPPER 60s FROM THE TRIANGLE NORTHWARD. LOWER 70s BACK IN STORE FOR FAYETTEVILLE AND CLINTON. IF YOU THOUGHT IT WAS A LITTLE CHILLY THIS AFTERNOON, JUST WAIT ONE MORE DAY. PLENTY OF SUNSHINE. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO WARM. LOW TO UPPER 70s . MONDAY AFTERNOON. THE WARMUP WITH US ON TUESDAY. WE WILL SEE A PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. MORE CLOUDS LIKELY ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 70s AND BACK AROUND 80 IN FAYETTEVILLE. TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO WARM ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. MANY AREAS WILL BE IN THE 80s SO AGAIN, NORTH CAROLINA WEATHER IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE CHILL, JUST WAIT A WEEK AND THINGS WARM UP. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE SEEING. WE ARE ALSO WATCHING ACTIVITY IN THE TROPICS NOW. THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER WATCHING TWO AREAS. ONE IN THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC GIVEN A HIGH CHANCE OF ORGANIZING THE NEXT FIVE DAYS. ONE GIVEN A LOW CHANCE IN THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN. BUT NONETHELESS, MANY OF OUR MODELS HAVE BOTH AREAS DEVELOPING SOMETHING SUBTROPICAL THE NEXT FIVE DAYS OR SO. THIS AREA IN THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC IS A NONTROPICAL AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LIKELY TO BECOME A SUB TROPICAL DEPRESSION OR STORM. NONTROPICAL, SUBTROPICAL. ALL THAT MEANS IS THERE WILL BE WARMER AIR NEAR THE SURFACE OF CIRCULATION. COLDER AIR ALOFT. SO, A HYBRID SYSTEM USUALLY TROPICAL SYSTEMS ARE ALL WARM IN THE CENTER OF THAT CIRCULATION. NONETHELESS, SAME IMPACTS REGARDLESS OF HOW THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE SYSTEMS ARE. IT COULD DEVELOP THE NEXT FIVE DAYS. IF IT BECOMES A STORM, EPSILON WILL BE ITS NAME. AND WE ARE WATCHING FOR OTHER STORMS IN THE CARIBBEAN. MARK, TEMPERATURES ON THE WARMER SIDE MIDWEEK, BACK TO 80</p>

Frost warning for some areas tonight, warming trend to come

Friday will be a wet, cool day, with temperatures decreasing through the afternoon and rain to keep things damp. 



Cooler weather could produce frost in spots this weekend

Friday night will be chilly with a possible chance of frost. Get ready!

We have frost and freeze warnings to welcome us going into Mother's Day before a dramatic warm-up happens.

THE NORTHEAST. LOOK AT THIS RATE HERE. 1-4 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS PARTS OF VERMONT. MOTHER'S DAY IS EXPECTING TO BE A BIT WARMER WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 50s. IF YOU WERE OUT AND ABOUT TODAY AND YOU FELT THE BRISK AIR COMING YOUR WAY, IT WAS CHILLY. WELL BELOW NORMAL AT 63 DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING FAST. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FREEZE WARNING UNTIL 8:00 A.M. FOR EVERYONE IN THE TRIANGLES AND CHAPEL HILL'S FROM DURHAM TO RALEIGH AND ALONG I-40 WESTWARD AND ALL OF I-85. ALONG I-95 YOU ARE IN A FROST ADVISORY UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING WITH TEMPERATURES CONTINUING TO FALL OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. RIGHT NOW, TEMPERATURES ARE ALREADY ON THE CHILLY SIDE WHERE WE HAVE SEEN 39 IN ROXBOROUGH, 46 INTERIM, 46 IN RALEIGH, A MORE MILD 51 DEGREES. NOT TOO MILD BECAUSE TEMPERATURES EVERYWHERE WILL CONTINUE TO FALL. TOWN BY TOWN, WHAT YOU WILL WAKE UP TO TOMORROW MORNING IF YOU WAKE UP AROUND SUNRISE. IF YOU WAKE UP A LITTLE LATER YOU WILL MISS THE COLDER TEMPERATURES OF THE DAY. 31 DEGREES IS THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE IN ROXBOROUGH. 34 IN LEWISBURG. 36 IS THE MORNING LOW TEMPERATURE IN RALEIGH. THE RECORD IN RALEIGH IS 31. WE WON'T BREAK THE RECORD IN RALEIGH BUT IN FAYETTEVILLE THE RECORD IS 39 WE COULD BREAK THE LOW TEMPERATURE RECORD IN FAYETTEVILLE TOMORROW MORNING, 35 DEGREES IS WHAT YOU WAKE UP IN ERWIN AND ALONG SOUTHERN PINES WITH THE FREEZING MARK TOWARD THE WEST IN ROBBINS SO KEEP AN EYE ON THIS AS IT'S COLD OVERNIGHT. TAKE PRECAUTIONS AS WE TALKED ABOUT ALL WEEK LONG PUTTING THOSE COVERS OVER YOUR PLANS AS WELL AS BRINGING IN SENSITIVE POTTED PLANTS INDOORS. IF YOU ARE GOING TO SLEEP IN A BIT YOU WILL MISS THE COLDEST AIR WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 40s. 50s BY 10:00 A.M. AND 60s AT 12:00 AND THEN IN THE UPPER 60s FOR THE HIGHS TOMORROW AFTERNOON. WARMER TOMORROW, YOUR MOTHER'S DAY PLANNER IS LOOKING AMAZING IN THE AFTERNOON FOR OUTDOOR PLANS. PLENTY OF SUNSHINE FOR TOMORROW, SOME CLOUDS PASSING BY IN THE AFTERNOON. THE NEXT SMALL TRANSFER RAIN WILL ARRIVE MAINLY AS YOU SLEEP OVERNIGHT, SUNDAY INTO MONDAY MORNING. WE HAVEN'T SEEN TOO MUCH RAIN ON FUTURE CAST BUT WE COULD SEE SOME SHOWERS POPPING UP. LEAVE IT OR NOT, THIS IS THE GREATEST RAIN CHANCE WE WILL SEE OVER THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS. SUNNY AND MORE DRY WITH TEMPERATURES WARMER AS WE GO FORWARD. THE TEMPERATURE TREND, NOTICE TOMORROW A LOT OF BLUE ACROSS MUCH OF THE COUNTRY. COOLER AND COLD AIR STAYING WITH US MONDAY AND TUESDAY. A LITTLE ALSO ON WEDNESDAY. HERE'S THE BIG TRANSITION FROM THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY WHERE WE SEE A LARGE WIND SHIFT WITH HIGH PRESSURE OFF OF THE COAST BEING THE REASON WHY AS WE SEE THE SOUTH-SOUTHWEST WIND WHICH WILL CAUSE THE TEMPERATURES TO SOAR. FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY NEXT WEEK. TOMORROW AFTERNOON, TOWN BY TOWN, IN THE UPPER 60s. 71 IN FAYETTEVILLE, 70 IN GOLDSBORO. GET READY FOR WARM TEMPERATURES. ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO THE 30s . FRIDAY AFTERNOON THE HIGHS WILL BE AT 85, 85 IN DURHAM, 86 IN FAYETTEVILLE. MOTHER'S DAY IS LOOKING PRETTY NICE WITH SUNSHINE AND STORE. 67 ON MONDAY, 65 ON TUESDAY, 72 ON WEDNESDAY. WE REMAIN BELOW AVERAGE THROUGH

Frost and freeze warnings in place going into Mother's Day

Frost advisory and freeze warning

With temperatures dropping into the mid-30s overnight throughout the Triangle, there's potential for frost to form. Give yourselves a little extra time to get to work in the morning, in case you need to defrost your car.

THE PUBLIC CAN START PURCHASING THE SANITIZER NEXT WEEK. >>> IT'S A CHILLY DAY TODAY. IT LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE BIT WARMER OF A DAY. >> WE WILL NOT HAVE A STRONG WIND. GOLDSBORO HAS THEIR WATER TOWER LIT UP. THEY ARE PROBABLY DOING THE SAME IN GOLDSBORO. THANK YOU TO THE HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND FIRST RESPONDERS FOR ALL THE HARD WORK YOU ARE DOING. IT IS 37 IN SOUTH HILL. WE EXPECT A LOT OF BLUE SKY TOMORROW AFTERNOON. YVETTE THOMPSON SENT ME THIS PICTURE YESTERDAY WHEN WE STARTED TO SEE THE CLOUDS PICKING UP IN THE AFTERNOON. SO WHAT IS ON THE WAY? FULL SUNSHINE TOMORROW. IT IS VERY COLD TO START THE MORNING. SHOWERS ARE ON THE WAY FOR THE WEEKEND. YOU WANT TO STICK AROUND FOR THAT. THERE WAS A DUSTING OF SNOW THIS MORNING OVER HERE. MY UNCLE IN INDIANA SAID THEY SAW A FEW FLAKES TODAY. A LOT OF FOLKS ARE VERY COLD TONIGHT. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. PARTS OF ALABAMA AND TENNESSEE ARE GETTING BACK TO MISSOURI. LOOKS LIKE LONG ISLAND HAS A FREEZE WATCH AS WELL. 33 AND 34 FOR ROXBOROUGH AND SOUTH POLE SOUTH HILL. WE ARE WARMING UP NICELY. STILL IN THE 50s 61 IN THE AFTERNOON BY 5:00. BY 11:00 TONIGHT WE ARE IN THE 40s AND 50s. IN THE MORNING BY FRIDAY AT 6:00 A.M. IT IS THE NORTHERN COUNTIES THAT COULD SEE A LIGHT SCATTERED FROST. IT COULD BE AROUND TO 38 TOWARD FAYETTEVILLE. THAT WILL BE THE WARMEST DAY THAT WE SEE IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. WE HAVE LIGHT WIND AND CLEAR SKY . IT'S THE STAY IN BED A LITTLE BIT LONGER. WE WILL HEAD IN THE WARMER DIRECTION TOMORROW AFTERNOON.

Temperatures drop to near-freezing overnight, frost possible in the morning

During the winter months, a thin layer of frost could form on cars and may require a little scraping before driving off. In this video, WRAL Weather shows what needs to take place for frost to form.

WRAL Weather lesson: Frost formation

frost formation

A high-pressure system near West Virginia is keeping things dry in the Triangle and funneling cold air in from the northeast.

Following one more cold night, temperatures will climb 

7-Day Forecast

One more cold night before warm air moves in

Much of the state is under freeze warnings and frost advisories until late Monday morning, and coats will be a necessity before heading out the door this morning. 



Gardner: Some warmer days on tap after Monday chill

Freeze warning

A frost advisory will be in effect for multiple counties in central North Carolina from midnight until 9 a.m., according to the National Weather Service on Sunday.