Coastal storm moves closer

A strengthening coastal storm could bring impacts to your Sunday forecast. A cool and cloudy day today looks to lead to increasing rain chances overnight and into tomorrow as a coastal storm tries to work inland. Rain chances look to be highest south of I-85 and east of I-77. Chances are especially high in the Sandhills where some of us are already seeing some light rain this evening. While rain chances will be the highest here, anyone in the WCCB Charlotte viewing area has the chance to see rain on Sunday. Although those north of I-40 can expect lower chances than their neighbors towards the Sandhills.

Now it is important to know that there is a bit of uncertainty with this forecast. Some models still show almost no rain for many of us, but the overall trend has been for higher rain chances than it looked a couple of days ago. So while this isn’t a slam dunk, the trend is usually your friend when creating a forecast. The most likely rain totals look to be in the 1-3 inch range in the Sandhills, .5-1 inch along the I-85 corridor, and decreasing numbers from there towards the High Country. The good news with these totals is they’re very manageable, and will help our current drought!

Another factor in this forecast is the breezy conditions this storm system will bring. Winds out of the north will be sustained from 20-30 mph tomorrow in the Piedmont with gusts as high as 30 mph. While this won’t amount to any major problems, don’t be surprised to see a couple of weaker limps or trees come down. This wind from the north will also help to keep high temperatures trapped in the mid 60s for most of the viewing area.

We look to clear out overnight Sunday, and a beautiful Monday ensues. Next week looks to feature plentiful sunshine, and temperatures mostly near average through at least next Friday.

Tonight: Scattered showers.  Low: 60°. Wind: N 10-15  Gusts: 20+

Sunday: Widespread showers. High: 65°. Wind: N 20-25 Gusts: 30

Sunday Night: Scattered showers early. Low: 57°. Wind: N 15-20 Gusts: 20+

Monday: Partly cloudy. High 76°. Wind N 10