Rain Saturday; Much Colder Sunday!
Good afternoon folks! Light showers continue to pepper the escarpment area Tuesday afternoon and shower activity will remain spotty overnight into Wednesday, with heavier rain moving through the region late Wednesday afternoon. We'll pick up another half inch across most of SW NC during the day Wednesday, with another quarter - half inch overnight into Thursday. Precip dries up Thursday morning and sunshine returns, with clouds slowly filling in as the day moves along on Friday. Showers return Friday and stick around the entire day on Saturday, fizzling out overnight with more sunshine on Sunday. Temps will go from well above average Wednesday to near normal but still above average Thursday through Saturday, finally returning to normal by Sunday. Taking a look at early next week, it seems temps cool down even further to below normal levels and there is a chance for a NW flow snow event Tuesday (nothing is a guarantee this far out in time).
Wednesday will be another spring like day with temps soaring to the low - mid 50's along the ridgelines, while the valleys warm to the mid 60's. Scattered showers start the day and become widespread shortly after midday, with heavy rain crossing the region sometime around 2 - 4pm as the cold front approaches the mountains. With the overall flow out of the west, the higher rainfall totals will be in the Smokies and nearby ridgelines facing due west and we wouldn't be surprised to see a 2" total in a few spots by sunrise on Thursday. Overnight lows dip into the low - upper 40's across the region, with winds picking up to 20mph past midnight.
Clouds clear the region and breezy yet sunny conditions take over Thursday, with highs in the low 40's - mid 50's depending upon elevation. Overnight lows settle into the low - mid 30's Thursday night and clouds begin to build during the pre dawn hours.
Passing high clouds start the day on Friday and mostly cloudy skies will finish the day, capping temps to the upper 30's - low 50's depending upon elevation; lows in the low - upper 30's.
Rain may begin as soon as the pre dawn hours on Saturday and slowly build as the day moves along, with snow possibly falling along the highest ridgelines above 6000' before midday, becoming all rain during the afternoon hours. Temps Saturday will only make it to the upper 30's - low 50's once again and shower activity will wind down just before midnight.
Sunshine returns Sunday and extends into next week and temps will finally dip to below normal levels, making it truly feel like winter as opposed to early spring. We'll circle back Thursday afternoon with more details on the upcoming rain event and drop in temps next week.