Upper 30's in Mid June?!?!
Good afternoon folks! The heavy rains are behind and the highest amount over the 5 day period (6/5 - 6/10) was out of Highlands at 8.27". Looking beyond today at Wednesday through Sunday it seems rain chances will be minimal with a round of light showers Wednesday, followed by gorgeous weather Thursday through Saturday. Isolated pop up showers and thunderstorms are a good bet for Sunday, but nothing widespread so keep those outdoor plans. A high pressure system will move to the northeast tomorrow, setting up a somewhat rare June cold air damming event for the Carolinas but seeing how it will not be strong enough to push past the Great Balsams, we don't foresee much rain across the region. The high pressure system then moves overhead by Friday, with temps Friday morning possibly dipping into the 30's along the highest peaks above 6400'! Eventually the high pressure system pushes east as we move into the weekend and newly established southerly flow will bring us increasing moisture levels, enough to fire up classic summertime pop up showers each afternoon starting Sunday. A glance at next Monday shows a system that will likely bring us scattered to widespread showers, but we'll stop there and wait till the next forecast discussion to dive into details.
Temps Wednesday along the escarpment and closer to the Jackson/Haywood county line (Great Balsams) will be cooler than areas near the N GA state line, with temps in the upper 60's - mid 70's depending upon location (lower elevations). The ridgelines will struggle to reach the upper 50's and NE winds around 10 - 20mph will be present throughout the day, with isolated showers developing past midday; mostly cloudy skies overhead. The best chance for rain will be closer to the Jackson/Haywood county line and SC state line, with no more than a tenth - quarter inch of rain before midnight. Temps Wednesday night settle into the low - upper 50's alongside isolated showers that will dry up during the pre dawn hours.
Thursday and Friday both offer up sunny skies as the high pressure system moves overhead and temps will rebound to the mid 70's Thursday and mid - upper 70's Friday across the valleys; low - mid 60's along the ridgelines. The real excitement comes Thursday night as cooler air moves in, bringing temps down into the mid - upper 40's across the valleys, while the highest peaks above 6400' touch the upper 30's! It's not unheard of to see temps this cold during the summer months, but it is rare and something to experience if you can squeeze in a Parkway drive before work on Friday. Overnight lows Friday night warm slightly, but will still be chilly as they settle into the upper 40's - mid 50's; both nights under clear skies.
The weekend ahead looks pleasant with mostly sunny skies overhead before noon, followed by a few clouds late as moisture continues to build with the high pressure system to our east. Sunday brings us mostly sunny skies before midday and partly cloudy skies late, alongside isolated pop up showers just before sunset. Temps Saturday and Sunday hit the mid - upper 60's along the ridgelines, while the valleys climb to the upper 70's - low 80's (this gorgeous weather couldnt last forever).
We'll post our next forecast discussion Friday morning and focus on the weekend and increasing rain chances early next week. Till then, enjoy the sunshine and stay warm!