Tropical Impacts possible in the Carolinas 

It’s a weekend to be weather wise in the Charlotte area as rain and tropical trouble enter the forecast. Today will feature isolated showers with temperatures in the low 80s in the Piedmont, and closer to 75 in the High Country. By Friday night, rain becomes widespread across the area and looks to last through the night. Most of the rain looks to hold off until around midnight, so hopefully those outdoor evening events will stay mostly dry, but make sure to bring the rain jacket! Saturday looks to continue the trend with scattered showers and storms throughout the day, and highs in the mid to upper 70s. Sunday tries to dry out a tad, but still don’t rule out a shower or two.

By early next week, the forecast gets tricky, and potentially worrisome, as tropical trouble brews nearby. Tropical Storm Imelda is expected to form over the next 48 hours near the Bahamas. All model guidance pulls this system north towards the Carolina coast by Monday. This is where data diverges a bit on the track. A majority of models bring the would be tropical storm, or low end hurricane into the Carolina coast sometime Monday or Tuesday. A lesser number of models pull the storm back out to sea as what will likely be Major hurricane Humberto swings by and brings Imelda back into the open Atlantic. Obviously, the differences in these solutions mean BIG differences to our forecast.

Right now, the biggest concern locally would be heavy rain and a flooding threat. With the ongoing rain this weekend, we will already be saturated and won’t benefit from any more heavy rain. Any potential excessive rainfall will be highly dependent on the track of this storm system. At the coast we could see all hazards including winds, surge, and flooding, although it’s too soon for exact locations and details. Make sure to stick with the WCCB Charlotte weather team this week as we keep you weather wise with the latest data as we get it!

Friday: Isolated showers. High: 84°. Wind: SW light

Friday Night: Widespread showers.  Low 69°. Wind: SW light

Saturday: Scattered showers and storms. High: 77°. Wind: calm

Saturday Night: Isolated showers and storms. Low: 66°. Wind: calm