Weekend forecast: Temps in 60s-70s could break century-old records

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Yes, it’s January, also known as wintertime. And yes, the for-real forecast for this weekend is the mid sixties, with Saturday-Sunday highs currently set at 68 to 70 degrees.

Asheville’s all-time high for January 12 is 70 degrees, a measure that’s stood since 1898. If we tie it, we’ll tie a record over a century old.

Sadly, along with the high temps come clouds, with Saturday and Sunday currently looking cloudy, though Sunday may be partly sunny.

From Ray’s Weather:

The bigger story locally for today will be the mild temperatures. Highs are forecast to rise well into the 50’s to near 60 (10+ degrees above normal). Tonight, a “cool” air wedge will develop which will lead to areas of fog and drizzle overnight. This wedge will keep it slightly cooler on Friday along with a continued threat of light rain / drizzle.

This wedge will erode Friday night and be gone by Saturday which will allow Spring-like warmth to build back in to western NC. Would you believe highs in the mid / upper 60’s (maybe a few spots near 70)? It’s true.

We can’t rule out a passing shower Saturday, but for now it is looking mostly dry with a bit more sunshine than today and Friday. Same story goes for Sunday. Should be a nice weekend to get outdoors.

RECORD HIGHS IN JEOPARDY SATURDAY:

Asheville: 70 (set in 1898)

Waynesville: 69 (set in 1969)

Ray’s Weather link here.

A “nice weekend to get outdoors”? Sixty-eight degrees in mid-January? ON THE WEEKEND?

See you on the trails and at the Bywater, Asheville.