‘Strong, damaging’ wind with 45 mph gusts expected this week as cold front moves in
A cold front approaching central North Carolina from the west on Thursday is expected to bring strong and possibly damaging wind, with 40 mph gusts.
The National Weather Service in Raleigh said northwest winds behind the front would become “quite blustery,” with sustained winds between 25 and 35 mph after midnight Thursday. The strong wind is expected to continue into Friday, with gusts around 45 mph.
Isolated damaging wind is likely between 3 and 7 p.m. on Thursday, according to ABC11 meteorologist Chris Hohmann.
The strong winds likely will begin as rain exits the area. Gusts will really start to pickup after sunrise on Friday and continue all day.
A wind advisory will go into effect Friday morning, the weather service said.
While temperatures are expected to be mild during the day for the rest of the week, nights could approach freezing over the weekend.
▪ Thursday: Rain expected before 1 p.m., then showers likely until 5 p.m. and more rain and a possible thunderstorm after 5. High near 68. New rain between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Rain will likely continue through the first half of the night, with a low of about 45.
▪ Friday: Colder, but sunny. High near 56. Strong wind gusts near 40 mph. Low around 37.
▪ Saturday and Sunday: Sunny, high near 56. Low near freezing.
▪ Next week: Another cold front is expected to move into the area, possibly bringing more rain and a reinforcing shot of cold air.
This story was originally published February 28, 2018 at 2:23 PM with the headline "‘Strong, damaging’ wind with 45 mph gusts expected this week as cold front moves in."