Turning Up the Heat
Good afternoon folks! The forecast over the next 5 - 7 days will feature isolated thunderstorms each afternoon, with a chance for scattered to widespread showers early Monday and the main highlight will be the increasing temps as we climb to levels 8 - 10 degrees above normal. An upper level ridge will control most of the action across the Southeast over the next week, with a weak front swinging through Monday that will only provide us with showers and nothing in the way of relief from the summer like heat. Temps typically will be in the upper 70's this time of the year for the lower elevations and the forecasted temps for the middle to end of next week show temps in the mid - upper 80's! Places to our south and east will experience the 90's for the time, including the French Broad Valley, which includes Asheville and Hendersonville. This kind of heat will not last forever but it will be around for the next 7 - 10 days, pushing well into next weekend.
Friday rounds out the work and school week with NW flow still present across the region, however enough moisture and instability will be available to fire up isolated thunderstorms late in the day. The best chance for thunderstorm development will be along the SC state line as terrain influences tap into the growing instability, while the rest of us enjoy mostly sunny skies and temps pushing to the upper 60's - mid 80's. Overnight lows settle into the mid - upper 50's with clouds from afternoon storms lingering into the evening hours, but clearing out as the night moves along.
Saturday and Sunday offer up isolated thunderstorms, with Sunday offering a slightly better chance than Saturday due to the approaching front. Muggy will be a word used frequently this weekend as noticeable increases in humidity levels occur, due to the transition from NW flow to a more southerly flow into the region. Temps continue to push into the upper 60's along the ridgelines while the valleys bake in the mid 80's. Much like summer, thunderstorm development could occur just about anywhere, however the edge still will be found across the Southern Highlands Plateau. Overnight lows continue follow the warming trend as well, dipping into the mid 50's for the highest elevations, while the valleys settle into the low 60's each night.
Monday into the middle of next week will not be too exciting, playing out the same way as the weekend, with a slight uptick in shower coverage for Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday return mostly sunny skies to the region and with temps soaring to the mid - upper 80's each afternoon, I wish there was a better chance for showers to help shade us from this summer time heat. Temps Monday may only hit the low 80's due to increased cloud cover as scattered showers sweep the region, but the timing of the front will be the determining factor.
Our next discussion will come out late Saturday afternoon/evening, sometime around 5 - 8pm and we'll focus on the frontal passage late Sunday night into Monday and the week ahead.