Hottest Week of the Season
Good afternoon folks! Our weekend is coming to a close and we expect the work and school week to be a hot one, with temps pushing well into the mid 80's Tuesday and Wednesday, possibly making a run at the upper 80's for Franklin, Bryson City and Sylva. A series of fronts to our north late in the week will stir up some shower activity late Thursday and Friday, with a possible frontal passage Friday night into Saturday. If you have outdoor plans Thursday evening and Friday afternoon it looks like a good bet scattered showers will develop, but we do not expect a washout at this time. Temps cool back to near normal late in the week due to cloudy skies and spotty showers, followed by slightly below normal temps next weekend.
Temps Monday will reach the mid 60's along the ridgelines, while the valleys climb to 80°F, all under sunny skies. Clear skies Monday night allow temps to settle into the upper 40's - mid 50's depending upon elevation, with a few clouds overhead for most of SW NC, while the SC state line features partly - mostly cloudy skies.
Tuesday and Wednesday will be our hottest days of the week and season to date as temps soar to the low 70's - upper 80's depending upon elevation, under sunny skies both days. Isolated thunderstorms are likely across the highest terrain each afternoon, similar to what we find during the summer months (generally after 3pm). Overnight lows will dip into the mid 50's - low 60's, with clear skies Tuesday night and increasing clouds Wednesday night.
Thursday and Friday mark the beginning of the cool down, although its more of a return to normal temps as we go from the mid 60's - low 80's Thursday to the low 60's - upper 70's Friday, dropping to the upper 50's - low 70's next weekend. Rainfall totals starting Thursday evening through Saturday morning look minimal at this time, with only a quarter - half inch at most for the region. We'll focus on the upcoming rain and hopefully have more details to share when our next discussion comes out late Tuesday afternoon.