The first day of spring is just hours away. What to expect in the new season.
The first day of spring is likely to be rather chilly across the Rock Hill area, but meteorologists say the newly-arrived season, overall, will turn out toasty -- and maybe a bit wet.
The spring equinox, marking the point where the sun crosses the equator on its way north, takes place at 5:37 a.m. Saturday -- the first day of spring.
Forecasters with the government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predict the season will feature a good chance of above-average temperatures for the Rock Hill area and the rest of the Carolinas.
In fact, most of the continental United States, except for the far Northwest, is expected to experience the warmth through June.
Average highs and lows for the Rock Hill area on the first day of spring respectively are 64 and 40. That climbs to 68 and 43 by April 1, to 76 and 51 by May 1, and to 87 and 66 by the time summer begins in late June.
Snow has fallen well into April in years past, but there is no cold air on the horizon. The 8-14 day forecast from NOAA calls for above-average temperatures into the first few days of April.
Often, warm weather in the Carolinas is accompanied by dry conditions. But NOAA forecasters don’t see that happening this spring. They are predicting either normal or slightly-above-normal amounts of precipitation for the next three months.
For those of you interested in avoiding a late frost, it’s a matter of playing the odds.
The Clemson University agricultural extension service, which has an observation station at Winthrop University, says by March 31, you have a 50-50 chance of experiencing the season’s last frost.
A year ago, the last widespread frost across the Rock Hill area came on April 11, the day before Easter.
Forecasters warned that area residents might awaken to light frost Saturday morning, with temperatures expected to drop as low as 33 or 34 degrees. Chilly air covered the area Friday, in the wake of Thursday’s storm system. But breezy conditions are expected to last into Saturday morning.
The chilly weather is predicted to hang around this weekend, with Saturday’s highs in the low to mid 50s. Sunshine is expected to be mixed with some clouds by Saturday afternoon. Sunshine and upper 50s are expected for Sunday, with a warm up back to the 60s early next week.