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Week Closes Out With Temps in Mid-80s, ‘Abnormally Dry’ Conditions

Drought

By Jesse Wood

With a cold front on the way, the temperature is expected to drop more than 10 degrees in Boone from Friday afternoon, which had a high of 84.7 degrees, to Sunday, which RaysWeather.com forecasts to have a high of 72 degrees.

That will be a welcome sight to those who have been sweating their days away for the past couple weeks.

“A cold front is approaching slowly from the northwest. It passes through here Saturday evening keeping showers and thundershowers in the region Saturday, ending in the evening hours. Airmass change follows. Sunday and Monday will be an “ahhh”-freshing change, cooler and less humid,” RaysWeather.com’s forecast read on Friday.

Here’s a look at the hottest temperatures for the past week across the High Country, according to the archives at RaysWeather.com.

  • Boone: 86.1 degrees on June 24
  • Foscoe: 86.7 degrees on June 26
  • Snake Mountain: 74.6 degrees on June 24
  • Valle Crucis: 85.1 degrees on June 26
  • Deep Gap: 85.9 degrees on June 24
  • Seven Devils: 85.1 degrees on June 24
  • Zionville: 86.7 degrees on June 25
  • Banner Elk: 82.8 degrees on June 24
  • Beech Mountain: 77.5 degrees on June 24
  • Linville: 85.7 degrees on June 25
  • Sugar Mountain Top: 76.6 degrees on June 24
  • Newland: 90.5 degrees

In other news, the creeks are flowing low as it’s also been dry.

The N.C. Climate Office noted that the High Country is “abnormally dry” and that the Western Piedmont is experiencing drought for the first time in two years.

Streamflow, groundwater, soil moisture levels, agricultural reports, condition-monitoring reports from CoCoRaHS, and numerous other drought indices and indicators are all suggesting drought is present in this part of the state, with abnormal dryness present elsewhere. This convergence of evidence has led to the designation of drought in the western Piedmont,” the state climate office noted.

While it’s unknown how long these conditions will last, they are listed as short term.