Cooler start this week, frost and freeze risk

YOURS ON WXII 12.COM AND CHECKING BACK IN WITH CHIEF METEOROLOGIST LANIE POPE. NOW. I THINK PEOPLE WERE SHOCKED TO WALK OUTSIDE TODAY AFTER THAT HEAT WE HAD ALL THIS PAST WEEK AND JUST REALIZED THAT IT’S NOW FEELING LIKE APRIL. THAT’S RIGHT. A LOT OF FOLKS EXPERIENCING THAT SUMMER HEAT, AND IF YOU’RE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE POOL, THAT WAS GOOD. RIGHT NOW WE’RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT FROST AND FREEZE CONDITIONS. A SHARP CONTRAST FROM YESTERDAY TO TODAY. TAKE A LOOK AT NORTH WILKESBORO. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE CLOUDS ARE LINGERING. CURRENTLY, THOSE STREETS WERE WET THIS MORNING. I KNOW BARELY COVERED THE PAVEMENT, BUT WE WILL TAKE EVERY DROP OF RAIN WE CAN GET AS THAT DROUGHT CONTINUES ACROSS THE AREA, AS WELL AS THE FIRE RISK, WE HAVE A MAINLY DRY WEEK AHEAD. WARMER WEATHER WILL BE BACK BUT IT IS GOING TO BE COOL ON THE FRONT END OF THIS WEEK. LOOK AT THE RADAR OVER THE LAST 18 HOURS. YOU CAN SEE HOW THE RAIN SORT OF FALLING APART AS IT MADE ITS WAY THROUGH THE PIEDMONT TRIAD. WE DID GET SOME MEASURABLE RAIN OVER OUR MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS, BUT EVEN THAT WAS REALLY LOW. ONLY A FEW ONE HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OR SO OVER PARTS OF WILKES, YADKIN AND SURRY COUNTIES. HIGHER TOTAL THERE UP TOWARD GALAX, CLOSER TO A 10TH OF AN INCH. AND THEN LUCKY IF YOU EVEN SAW A DROP ACROSS THE TRIAD. WE DO STILL HAVE SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT, AND I DO ANTICIPATE THIS MAP IS GOING TO GET WORSE WHEN WE GET ANOTHER RELEASE OF IT ON THURSDAY OF THIS WEEK, BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE ANY RAIN IN THE FORECAST BETWEEN NOW AND THEN. ALSO HAD THE WIND OUT THERE TODAY. WE’VE GOT WIND TOMORROW. SO WITH DRY CONDITIONS AND THE DROUGHT, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER, WHICH WILL CONTINUE. AND WE DO HAVE DRY SKIES IN THE FORECAST FOR ALL OF THIS WORK WEEK. DIDN’T SEE ANY RAIN OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS AT PTI AIRPORT IN GREENSBORO. WE ARE ABOUT TWO INCHES BELOW NORMAL ALREADY FOR THE MONTH, AND WE’RE MORE THAN FOUR INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR THE YEAR, SO WE DO NEED SOME WET WEATHER NOW. THE TEMPERATURES ARE CURRENTLY BACK TO NORMAL. SO 72 WAS OUR HIGH TODAY. WE WERE PUSHING RECORDS ALL WEEK LONG AND INTO THE WEEKEND. BUT SINCE YESTERDAY THOSE TEMPERATURES ARE DOWN SOME 20 TO 30 DEGREES. AND WE’RE SITTING RIGHT NOW AT 49 IN REIDSVILLE AND DANVILLE. WE’VE GOT 50 IN DANBURY, 46 RIGHT NOW IN WILKESBORO HAD SOME STRONGER WIND LIKES OUT THERE TODAY, ANYWHERE BETWEEN 25 TO 35 MILES AN HOUR. HAD A WIND ADVISORY CURRENTLY OUT FOR THE MOUNTAINS WHERE GUSTS WERE OVER 40 MILES AN HOUR. SO WE’VE GOT PRETTY LIGHT WINDS OUT THERE NOW. THEY’LL PICK UP AGAIN TOMORROW WITH THOSE LIGHTER WINDS AND CLEAR SKIES. IT WILL BE A CHILLY START. SO CONSIDER THE LIGHT JACKETS OR SWEATERS OR SWEATSHIRTS IN THE MORNING AS TEMPS WILL BE CLOSE TO 40 DEGREES. TUESDAY MORNING IS EVEN COLDER AND WE MAY SEE FREEZING TEMPERATURES IN THE MOUNTAINS. AND IN FACT, GALAX HILLSVILLE, SPARTA, ENNICE. JEFFERSON, BOONE ALL UNDER A FREEZE WATCH FOR TUESDAY MORNING AT FREEZE. IF TEMPERATURES GET DOWN NEAR AND BELOW FREEZING, COULD KILL CROPS AND PLANTS, SO YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE PROTECTED. USUALLY OUR AVERAGE LAST FROST AND FREEZE IS EARLY MAY FOR THE MOUNTAINS, AND IT’S USUALLY MID APRIL FOR THE PIEDMONT TRIAD. YOU CAN SEE OUR TEMPERATURES ARE DOWN BEHIND THE FRONT, BUT THERE IS PROMISE WITH SOME WARMER AIR AND A WARM UP TAKING PLACE OUT THERE OVER THE MIDDLE OF THE NATION. SO THAT WILL BE HEADING OUR WAY AND WE WILL WARM UP SOME BY THE MIDDLE PART OF THE WEEK. CLEAR THOUGH OUT THERE TOMORROW. LOTS OF SUNSHINE, TEMPERATURES A LITTLE BIT BELOW NORMAL WITH A HIGH OF 67. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 20 MILES AN HOUR. BREEZY IN THE FOOTHILLS. HIGH FIRE DANGER 66. IN THE AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS. TOMORROW AFTER WE START IN THE UPPER 30S, THERE’S YOUR WARMER AIR. EARTH DAY ON WEDNESDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURE 80. COLDEST MORNING IS TUESDAY. WARMEST AFTERNOON RIGHT NOW LOOKS TO BE FRIDAY AHEAD OF A FRONT WHICH COULD BRING US SOME