Slight Improvement for the Weekend
Good afternoon folks! We'll experience a round of showers and thunderstorms this evening and another round is possible overnight into Wednesday. With the front hanging just to our north our region will continue to experience high moisture levels on Wednesday, with another day of increased cloud cover alongside scattered showers past midday that are likely to linger well into the evening hours. Thursday and Friday feature not much movement in the upper levels and this will translate into a classic pop up thunderstorm kind of day. Coverage should hold to scattered but heavy downpours with very little movement are likely, meaning some spots will get drenched while the rest of us enjoy a mixed bag of sun and clouds. July 4th is looking slightly better than our previous discussion with a little more sunshine in the mix, however scattered showers are a good bet, with coverage increasing as we head into Sunday and Monday.
Wednesday will be similar to Tuesday with the day playing out under more clouds than sunshine and scattered showers with a few thunderstorms developing after midday, extending well into the evening hours. It will feel muggy outside but temps will be cooler than normal as they only reach the upper 60's - upper 70's depending upon elevation, settling into the upper 50's - low 60's overnight into Thursday.
Thursday and Friday should offer up enough sun to justify a day on the water, but be aware of developing thunderstorms after midday, because the chance for heavy downpours that sit overhead for some time is higher than usual. For the photographers out there, these two days should be a great setup to capture rain shafts in the distance if you setup along the ridgelines (Parkway). Temps return to the low 70's - mid 80's each afternoon, with overnight lows once again in the upper 50's - mid 60's; mostly clear skies by the late evening hours.
All eyes on are on July 4th to see if we'll get washed out at our outdoor gatherings and although coverage has lessened a bit since our previous discussion, coverage levels will still be scattered so plan for a passing shower or two under more sun than clouds. We round out the holiday weekend with a growing chance for widespread coverage, but this is not set in stone as the models struggle with what to do with the low pressure system along the Gulf coast. Temps will remain warm but not above normal as they hold to the low 70's - mid 80's each afternoon.
We'll stop here and circle back on Thursday with more details on the holiday weekend.