Spring break outlook: Very promising

It's looking more and more as if chances of frost and cold weather are on the ropes, and if you're thinking ahead to the upcoming vacation week for many area public school students, there's good news.

The outlook for the next two weeks is for consistently mild weather. By that, I mean daily highs of 70 degrees or warmer -- in most cases, warmer.

Students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and many other nearby systems will have spring break the week of April 18, the week before Easter. I've checked advance forecasts from several private companies and the Climate Prediction Center (the government folks), and the outlook is for temperatures at or above average for this time of year.

Average highs are now a bit above 70, and those averages will be in the low to mid 70s by the end of the month.

A couple of people have asked me whether it's safe to plant flowers and vegetables that can be damaged by frost. On average, the date for the last frost in Charlotte is April 7 ... which was Thursday. So if you follow statistics, it's safe.

But given that no chilly weather is on the horizon for the next 10 days or so, I'd say the odds are even more in your favor.

Don't forget ... we've had frost in early May in years past, and there will be a few more outbreaks of cold air in the North that could push near the Carolinas.

But all indications are that we've might have turned the corner.