Summer not done yet

We’re off to one of the coolest starts to August on record, but summer will remind us it has plenty left in the tank as we head into the heart of the month. The cooler temperatures will carry on this Monday afternoon, however, as highs hover around 80° in the Queen City. Mostly cloudy skies and scattered thundershowers will keep temperatures roughly 10° below average across the board through the first two days of the workweek. Warm, moisture-laden air will pump into the Carolinas from the southwest by midweek as a tropical area of high pressure settles to our south. Highs will rise back into the 90s across the Piedmont and Foothills for the first time in nearly two weeks on Thursday and Friday. The hot, humid, and stormy pattern appears poised to last into the weekend.

We’ll also want to keep an eye on the tropics over the next 10 days. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is monitoring a new tropical wave off the West African coast; this disturbance has a 90% chance of becoming Tropical Storm Erin over the next several days. While there are no immediate threats to the Carolinas and over 2,000 miles of ocean lie between us and this budding storm, this system will be worth watching as we head into next week – some models bring a large and powerful hurricane in the vicinity of the mainland U.S. around this timeframe. Most storms that form this far north and east this time of year move out to sea, but it’s important to stay weather-wise as we move into the peak of hurricane season.

Monday: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers later in the day. High: 81°. Wind: SE 5-10.

Monday Night: Scattered showers and storms early, then mostly cloudy. Low: 72°. Wind: Light.

Tuesday: Another cloudy day with showers and storms. High: 83°. Wind: SW 5-10.

Tuesday Night: A few showers and storms early, then mostly cloudy. Low: 72°. Wind: SW 5-10.

Wednesday: Remaining cloudy with isolated showers and storms. High: 86°. Wind: SW 5-10.