Cooler and windy, but no frost in Piedmont

The strong cold front that pushed through the Charlotte area earlier Thursday (and produced a grand total of about 1/10 of an inch of rain) will bring windy conditions Friday and our coldest temperatures so far this season.

But the Piedmont should be safe from frost, this time around.

The biggest problem for the area could come Friday, when sustained northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph (with gusts to 35 mph) and low humidity will increase the fire danger.

The National Weather Service says it isn't expecting to issue a fire watch for the Piedmont but will do so for northeast Georgia and the South Carolina Upstate. However, forecasters say, the wildfire danger will be higher than usual in the Piedmont on Friday.

Daytime temperatures in this colder air mass will remain mild, actually. We'll have highs in the lower 70s for the next few days, and then into the middle 70s by early next week.

But with dry air and no clouds at night, the morning lows will be chilly. Some places around Charlotte will see readings in the upper 30s on Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings. The frost threat is limited to higher elevations, the National Weather Service says.

This all means a beautiful weekend for seeing the fall colors in the mountains. And it also means that for the first time this football season, you'll need a coat at high school games Friday night and college games Saturday evening.

That also goes for fans headed to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the big races Friday and Saturday evenings.