Widespread Rain Saturday; Dry Sunday

Good afternoon folks! Not much has changed in regards to our rain chances Friday and Saturday, with scattered showers moving through Friday afternoon, becoming widespread Saturday. Temps will remain a handful of degrees above normal Friday and Saturday but drop to slightly below normal levels Sunday, returning to normal early next week. Sunshine returns Sunday but clouds will be slow to exit the region, followed by more sunshine Monday and Tuesday.

We close out the work and school week under cloudy skies, however SW flow ahead of the incoming front will allow temps to reach the low 50's - low 60's depending upon elevation. Although rain moves in Friday afternoon, we don't expect much as rainfall totals hold to a tenth of an inch or less through the day. Overnight into Saturday shower coverage increases, closer to sunrise and temps will be held to the upper 40's - low 50's across the region.

Widespread rain will cancel most of our outdoor plans Saturday and we expect anywhere from 1 - 2" of rain to fall across the area, with most of us closer to the 1" mark. Locations that have potential to reach the 2" mark will be located closer to the N GA line, particularly ridgelines with a NW - SE orientation (upslope enhancement). Temps will once again reach the low 50's - low 60's Saturday afternoon, but drop to the low - upper 30's overnight into Sunday. Rainfall should wrap up during the evening hours, but enough moisture will linger in the following NW flow to wring out a few snow showers for the TN line, with little to no accumulations.

Passing high clouds make up most of the action Sunday, with sunny skies making a presence closer to sunset. Due to NW flow, temps will only make it to the upper 30's along the ridgelines, while the valleys warm to the low 50's. Add in NW winds around 10 - 20mph and it will be a cooler, although sunny end to the weekend. Overnight lows settle into the upper 20's for the valleys, while the ridgelines dip into the mid 30's as winds relax and clear skies allow for radiational cooling to occur.

Monday and Tuesday keep sunny skies overhead, however the models point to a possible frontal passage sometime Tuesday or Wednesday. Temps eventually return to the low 60's across the lower elevations Tuesday afternoon, but this could change if the front moves in earlier than currently expected.

We'll post our next discussion Saturday afternoon and focus on the timing of the next frontal passage early next week. Enjoy the mixed bag of weather this weekend.