Hot & stormy end to July, wetter & cooler start to August
A "winter wedge" setup will allow for temperatures well below normal this weekend.
Happy Hump Day! Showers and storms cut down our three-day 100° streak yesterday, but it remains hot – 94° on Tuesday marked Charlotte’s 23rd-straight afternoon at or above 90°. The classic summertime pattern continues today as highs return to the 90s while scattered pop-up thunderstorms do their thing in the afternoon and evening. Expect another hot, humid, and stormy day on Thursday before a cold front arrives overnight into Friday. The front will bring cooler air into the Carolinas by the weekend, but it won’t come all at once; short-range models suggest highs will still reach near 90° across the Piedmont and Foothills for the final day of the workweek despite scattered storms and northerly winds. Some heavy rain is also possible between Thursday afternoon and Friday evening, although widespread flash flooding likely won’t be an issue.
Fall is just under eight weeks away, but we may get a little taste of the season known for pumpkin spice and everything nice this weekend. That said, don’t expect a crisp and sunny Saturday or Sunday as a “winter wedge” setup unfolds across the Carolinas. High pressure will settle to our north, pumping cooler air into the WCCB Charlotte from the northeast. The denser, cooler air will sink and “wedge” itself against the Appalachian mountains, forcing warmer air over it, creating cloudy and drizzly conditions through the first half of the weekend. Highs may struggle to clear 80° on Saturday and Sunday around the Metro, although medium-range models show some clearing by the end of the weekend. Below-average temperatures may linger through the first few days of the next workweek.
Today: Hot and humid with PM scattered storms. High: 92°. Wind: SE 5-10.
Tonight: Scattered storms early, then partly cloudy. Low: 74°. Wind: Light.
Thursday: Variable clouds with PM scattered storms. High: 92°. Wind: SW 5-10.
Thursday Night: Heavy storms early, then some clearing. Low: 74°. Wind: Light.
Friday: Another hot one. PM scattered storms. High: 92°. Wind: N 5-10.
