Another Weekend, Another frost

Time to protect the pepper bushes once again.  Frost the next couple of nights will be the product of very dry air, common in November and not a polar or arctic blast.  Frosty mornings will give way to sunny skies and 65-70 degrees Saturday and Sunday. 

Dry air cools quickly once the sun sets and by morning 30-35 degrees colder than the previous day's highs are not that uncommon.  November is the driest month of the year in Raleigh, NC.  The length of nighttime plays a role also as we approach the darkest 2 months (Nov 21-Jan 21).

After another week of mild dry weather there is expected to be a major weather pattern change for the week of Thanksgiving.  This GFS forecast from NCEP depicts a cold high pressure system damming air down the Eastern Seaboard.  Such a pattern will certainly be colder than average and is one that would favor precipitation as warm air aloft would tend to overrun.

GFS Forecasts wedge of cold air dominating the eastern seaboard.
Source: NCEP Central Operations