Hot And Humid Friday, Unsettled Weekend

AM Headlines:

• Heat Advisory
• More Storms through Sunday
• Severe Risk Friday & Saturday
• Watching the Tropics

A heat advisory will be in effect once again this afternoon for areas south and east of I-85. Temperatures will climb to the mid to upper 90s with heat index values up to 108 possible. A cold front moving into the region will trigger scattered to numerous showers and storms this afternoon. A few could be strong to severe with damaging wind and localized flooding the biggest concerns. The cold front will stall just to our east Saturday meaning more storms likely beginning in the mountains and shifting east through the afternoon. The severe threat will increase  through the day as storms organize into lines and clusters increasing the threat of damaging wind and heavy downpours. Temps won’t be quite as hot, but humidity will remain high with feels like temps in the triple digits ahead of any rain. Rain chances remain Sunday as the front remains near the area.

Next week’s forecast will depend on the track of Invest 97-L, the tropical wave over Hispaniola. It will likely become a tropical depression this weekend near Florida or in the Gulf. Models are in better agreement on where this storm will be this weekend, but there is still a lot of wiggle room in its potential intensity and track. It could stall bringing flooding rain to Florida and the Gulf coast. However, if it tracks back into the southeast and along the coast it could bring some issues to the Carolinas later in the week. Right now, keeping the forecast seasonable with highs in the low 90s with isolated afternoon storm chances. But, we’ll need to monitor this situation very closely over the next few days.