Hazy conditions tonight, with record warmth Saturday

Record Warmth
Janessa Webb,

AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT
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Β The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality in Raleigh has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Fine Particulates for Iredell, Rowan, Lincoln, Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Cabarrus Counties, until midnight EST tonight.
Tonight, we will stay under gray skies with the haze hanging over the region. Clouds and smoke from wildfires burning across the state have become trapped at the surface, creating a thick layer of poor visibility and unhealthy air.

An Air Quality Alert remains in effect through midnight, and sensitive groups including children, older adults, and anyone with respiratory concerns should limit outdoor activities into the evening hours as pollution levels peak.

There is a bit of hopeful news in the mix. A few scattered showers will try to develop and move across the area later tonight. They may provide brief relief; these showers likely won’t be widespread or strong enough to fully wash the smoke out of the atmosphere. Expect haze, low visibility, and less-than-ideal breathing conditions to hang with us a bit longer.

Showers will continueΒ into tomorrow morning and then we’ll dry out.Β  With the front coming through we should watch for a few storms to pop up but at this point it does look limited.Β  Record breaking highs will take over the region tomorrow with upper 70s and 80s being the main weather story.Β Β Sunday is my pick day as we fall back into the 70s under wall-to-wall sunshine. Enjoy!