A Steady Uptick in Shower Coverage
Good morning folks! For those who experience showers and thunderstorms on Saturday, rainfall totals ranged from a quarter of an inch for most areas, maxing out to 1.5" in Cullowhee. Shower chances drop to isolated today (Sunday) and we'll slowly increase shower coverage as we move through the week, peaking in coverage Friday or Saturday. This is due to southerly flow steadily building across the Southeast as the week moves along, while a flat upper level ridge sits overhead, increasing temps alongside moisture levels. A cold front will swing into the region Friday or Saturday and this should be all that we need for a regionwide shower event, but nothing more than passing showers; nothing major.
Sunday wraps up the weekend with high and thin clouds overhead most of the day, giving way to an hour or two of sunshine before isolated showers fire up along the highest ridgelines and across the Southern Highlands Plateau. Temps warm to the mid - upper 80's across the valleys, with somewhat high moisture levels for early August but nothing that would keep us from working outside. Temps bottom out to the mid 50's - low 60's depending upon elevation and fog will once again develop across the valleys.
Monday and Tuesday offer up more sun than cloud cover, with isolated showers and thunderstorms developing around the mid afternoon hours each day. Temps push into the mid - upper 80's once again but we'll notice moisture levels increasing over the two day period, becoming very muggy by Tuesday late morning. Overnight lows settle into the upper 50's - mid 60's with valley fog a possibility each night.
Wednesday into Friday continues the trend of shower coverage increasing with each passing day, becoming scattered by Wednesday afternoon (mixed bag of sun and clouds), while Thursday seems to get the action going before noon, with coverage remaining scattered. By Friday, the front will enter the region and spark widespread showers to develop, ensuring all of SW NC gets in on the action but nothing more than 0.50 - 0.75" is expected over the 36 hour period into Saturday. You would think temps cool down as cloud cover and shower chances increase but they'll actually push even further into the upper 80's by week's end, setting the stage for a very muggy end to the work week.
We'll stop here and circle back Tuesday morning. ENJOY!