Cooler air ahead, Erin skirts away from Carolinas
Stray-to-isolated rain chances linger through the weekend, but no washouts will ruin your outdoor plans.
Summer is still running strong as we move into the penultimate day of the workweek, but a significant cooldown awaits us ahead of the weekend. Highs will soar into the upper 80s this Thursday afternoon as Hurricane Erin roars about 200 miles east of the Outer Banks. An incoming cold front will be our savior for two reasons; the first being the harbinger of relief from the heat, the second being Erin’s shepherd out to sea. Highs will struggle to get much above 80° on Friday and Saturday, as clouds, showers, and northeasterly winds linger behind the front. Most of the shower activity will be limited to areas west of the Metro; your outdoor plans this weekend still have the green light.
Summer surges back into the Carolinas by the second half of the weekend as highs rise into the upper 80s once again on Sunday and Monday, but another major cooldown arrives by midweek as a second cold front slices through the WCCB Charlotte viewng area. Models suggest this front will be drier than the first one, so rain chances aren’t particularly high through the first half of the week ahead. Highs will once again struggle to get out of the 70s across the Piedmont and Foothills between Tuesday and Thursday of next week before steadily warming near normal by the following weekend.
With Hurricane Erin now curving away from the Carolinas, it’s time to focus on what’s next in the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is currently monitoring two areas for tropical development; one just east of the Caribbean and another off the West African coast. The system east of the Caribbean has a 70% chance of getting a name over the next seven days, while the African storm has a 40% chance of becoming a tropical storm over the same timeframe. Neither are direct threats to the Carolinas anytime soon and will likely remain over water for the entirety of their lives, but it’s important to note that we’re entering the peak of hurricane season over the next 4-6 weeks.
Today: AM mostly sunny. PM variable clouds with a few storms. High: 86°. Wind: NE 5-10.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a stray shower or storm. Low: 71°. Wind: NE 5-10.
Friday: Cloudy. Cooler with a few showers, especially in the AM. High: 80°. Wind: NE 5-10.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy. Stray shower? Low: 69°. Wind: Light.
Saturday: Another cloudy day. A PM stray shower or storm is possible. High: 83°. Wind: SE 5-10.
