Sunshine and Cooler Temps
Good afternoon folks! We are almost done with this long stretch of daily showers and muggy conditions as we expect a frontal passage to sweep through on Saturday, helping to usher in sunny conditions for the end of the weekend and early part of next week. Even the middle to late part of next week looks relatively dry, with only late afternoon pop up showers and moisture levels should be more bearable than we've been dealing with as of late. An upper level low is expected to swing nearby the area Friday and with instability on the rise, we expect another round of scattered showers and thunderstorms. A front will move through early in the day Saturday, accompanied by a round of light - moderate showers shortly after midday but sunshine will quickly follow in its wake. We end the weekend on a gorgeous note as sunshine sits overhead, coupled with slightly below normal temps and a much more enjoyable drop in humidity levels. The high pressure that will keep fair weather overhead Monday and Tuesday shifts to our southeast by Wednesday, setting back up southerly flow across the Carolinas and this translates to the normal setup of late afternoon pop up showers.
Friday's temps will once again be on the warm side as they push into the upper 60's - low 80's with a low cloud deck to start the day, gradually fading away as we approach midday. This infusion of sunshine through the broken cloud cover will increase instability just in time for the upper level low to glance the area, prompting scattered showers and thunderstorms to fire up just about anywhere across WNC. Shower activity drops rapidly by the late evening hours and only passing clouds are expected after midnight, with lows settling into the low - upper 50's.
Saturday will be a day of two halves, as we start the day in the same muggy airmass we've experienced all week, ending it with a pleasant late spring like setup. Cloud cover will be partly sunny most of the morning and as the front moves through closer to midday we'll experience scattered light - moderate showers that should end by the early afternoon hours. Post frontal the airmass will allow for clearing skies and temps will still be able to make a run at the upper 60's - upper 70's depending upon elevation. Winds will pick up out of the NW around sunset and continue around 10 - 15mph throughout the night under clearing skies with overnight lows in the upper 40's - low 50's!
Sunday through Tuesday offer up sunny skies and temps in the upper 50's - mid 70's Sunday and Monday, warming to the low 60's - upper 70's on Tuesday. Overnight lows will also be cooler than normal with lows in the low - mid 40's Sunday and Monday night along the ridgelines, while the valleys sit in the upper 40's - low 50's; all under mostly clear skies.
We'll stop here and circle back on Saturday but be sure to make plans to get outside this weekend as the weather is finally cooperating!