Cooldown in sight, Erin buzzes offshore
Hurricane Erin continues to weaken as it turns northward, but still remains a dangerous - and potentially deadly - storm.
Happy Hump Day! Temperatures fell well short of 90° around the Metro yesterday, but the mercury will rise once again this Wednesday afternoon. Expect highs in the upper 80s – with a few 90s possible – across the Piedmont and Foothills as we get over the workweek hump. Expect another hot one on Thursday before a cold front slices through the Carolinas overnight into Friday, bringing isolated rain chances and significantly cooler air along with it. Highs will struggle to clear 80° in the Queen City on Friday and Saturday as mostly cloudy skies, northerly winds, and pop-up showers and storms keep temperatures 5-10° below average. Temperatures quickly recover near normal by Sunday, but another cold front could bring an even sharper cooldown by midweek next week.
Hurricane Erin looked like a shell of itself at times yesterday as it weakened into a low-end Category 2 while turning north of the Bahamas, but its satellite presentation appears to be much more organized this morning. Erin remains a Category 2 as of 5 am, but is forecast to strengthen on its journey northward over the next 24 hours. Erin will make its closest approach to the Carolinas overnight into Thursday, buzzing within 250 miles of the Outer Banks before curving northeastward out to sea. While the Carolinas will dodge any direct impacts from Erin, strong rip currents, rough surf, and even some minor storm surge will pose threats to beachgoers and coastal communities over the next few days.
Today: Mainly sunny. Stray storm? High: 88°. Wind: NE 5-10.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Mild and muggy. Low: 72°. Wind: N 5-10.
Thursday: Variable clouds with a few showers and storms. High: 88°. Wind: N 5-10.
Thursday Night: A few storms early, then mostly cloudy. Low: 72°. Wind: NE 5-10.
Friday: Mostly cloudy with a few showers and storms. Cooler. High: 82°. Wind: NE 5-10.
