Rain Mon - Wed; Dry and Cooler Thursday
Good afternoon folks! We'll continue to deal with (or enjoy) well above normal temps Monday through Wednesday and although above normal temps stick around for Thursday and Friday, they wont be 15 - 18 degrees above normal, instead they only be 4 - 6 degrees above normal. Showers setup shop Monday and hang around till Wednesday, but this stretch of rain will be more of nuisance as only 1 - 3" is forecasted over the three day period, most of that falling along the N GA line. Thursday and Friday offer up a reprieve from the rain but much like the past six weekends, more rain is in the forecast; this also makes it eight of out the past nine weekends with measurable rain! All in all, more spring-like than dead of winter and it looks like the forecast remains snow free for another 6 - 8 days.
Monday kicks off the work and school week with spotty light showers across the region and we don't expect much in the way of totals, with a quarter of an inch at most through the day. Coverage expands slightly overnight as the warm front lifts further north, bringing us another quarter to half inch across SW NC. Due to southerly flow, the N GA line should report the highest totals by the time sunrise comes around Tuesday, with lower amounts as move closer to Waynesville. Temps on Monday will climb to the low 50's along the ridgelines, while the valleys warm to the low - mid 60's, settling into the low - mid 50's overnight into Tuesday.
Tuesday and Wednesday show signs of a drawn out reduction in shower coverage as the front lifts north but fizzles out, not really allowing the deep flow of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to clear the region. This results in scattered showers Tuesday and Wednesday, with a mix of thunderstorms as instability increases across the region. We expect another half inch of rain throughout the day and night on Tuesday (closer to an inch along the N GA line), followed by a tenth - quarter of an inch on Wednesday. Temps both days push into the mid 50's - mid 60's with overnight lows in the 50's Tuesday night, dropping to the low - upper 40's Wednesday as drier air filters into the area.
Thursday will eventually produce mostly sunny skies as clouds linger during the morning hours, with a sunny day on tap for Friday. Temps in the valleys warm to the low 50's each afternoon, while the ridgelines cool down to the mid 40's.
We'll post another discussion Tuesday afternoon, focusing on the slightly cool down and upcoming rain event arriving late this week.