Toasty Temps Continue

Happy Hump Day! The hottest stretch we’ve seen in roughly a month is underway. Highs will soar into the mid-90s across the Piedmont and Foothills Wednesday and Thursday as sunny skies continue their dominance over the Carolinas. Rising dew points approaching 70° will allow for heat indices in the triple digits over the next two afternoons. Today will likely make nine-straight days without a drop of rain in the Queen City, but appreciable storm chances return by tomorrow afternoon. The rain potential appears isolated at best through the workweek, but we’ll take what we can get.

A powerful area of low pressure will sweep across south-central Canada by the start of the weekend, picking up moisture as it develops eastward. The system’s corresponding cold front will reach the Carolinas by Sunday evening, bumping up cloud and storm coverage through the weekend. It won’t be a washout, but many communities will see heavy storms at some point on Saturday and Sunday. Another taste of fall lies beyond the weekend as models show a wedge-like setup arriving by next Wednesday. Highs may struggle to get out of the 60s and 70s through the heart of next week.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) continues to monitor an area east of the Caribbean for tropical development, and has added a new region southeast of Bermuda to watch. Neither area has a particularly high chance of development – currently weighed at 20% and 10% over the next seven days, respectively – but tropical activity should continue to pick up as we head closer to the peak of hurricane season in mid-September. The next two names on the 2024 list are Francine and Gordon.

Today: Hot sunshine. Getting humid. High: 95°. Wind: SW 5-10.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Mild. Low: 71°. Wind: SW 5-10.

Thursday: Mostly sunny and hot. PM stray storm? High: 95°. Wind: SE 5-10.

Thursday Night: A stray storm early, then mostly clear. Mild and muggy. Low: 71°. Wind: SW 5-10.

Friday: Mostly sunny with a few PM pop-up storms. High: 91°. Wind: S 5-10.