Soaking Rain Friday AM; Sunny this Wknd
Good morning folks! Warmer temps reign supreme through at least Thursday and then things cool down on Friday as a front crosses the region early in the day. A slightly cooler but still comfortable weekend lies ahead, with sunshine taking over as the front exits the region on Friday. Temps warm up slightly as we move into Sunday and early next week, with a return to the upper 70's by Monday, maybe Sunday if we're lucky. The rain event slated for Thursday has been pushed back slightly to the late afternoon/early evening hours, peaking in coverage just as the sun begins to rise on Friday, wrapping up sometime around midday. Totals will range across the region and a 0.50" minimum is a good bet, with several spots likely to spill over into the 1" category (nothing over 1.5" is expected). All in all, a pleasant spring week lies ahead with no concerns for frost or freeze and much needed rain is on the way; this time not interfering with the weekend!
Temps warm to the low - mid 80's this afternoon across the valleys under mostly sunny skies, while the ridgelines climb to the upper 60's. Westerly winds will pick up today, steady around 10 - 15mph and gusting to 30mph across the highest ridgelines. Breezy conditions continue into the overnight hours and never really let up till the front passes on Friday, so plan for some windy conditions today through Thursday. Overnight lows settle into the upper 40's - mid 50's across the region under a gradual increase in cloud cover as moisture begins to increase across the region.
Wednesday features a continuing build up of cloud cover as overall flow becomes more southwesterly and temps will not move much compared to today, warming to the upper 60's - low 80's depending upon elevation. Overnight lows settle back into the upper 40's - upper 50's under partly - mostly cloudy skies.
Thursday offers up a similar start to the day compared to Wednesday and the only difference will be the chance for isolated showers after the early afternoon hours. Coverage will not become widespread till the overnight hours so its possible you could squeeze in a hike or yardwork before sunset. Temps hit the repeat button, warming to the upper 60's - low 80's once again, with a slightly warmer low as temps dip into the mid - upper 50's overnight into Friday.
Widespread showers will greet us as we wake up on Friday and roughly a 0.50 - 1.25" of rain will fall across the region, with the higher totals along the Snowbird and Cowee Mountains, as well as the Southern Highlands Plateau (Panthertown Valley may win out with this setup); lower totals in northern and central Haywood County. Temps only reach the mid 50's above 5500', while the valleys push into the upper 60's, so not warm but not cold either. Showers come to an end before sunset and clouds clear out overnight, with lows dropping to the mid 30's - low 40's (a very slight chance for patchy frost above 5000') depending upon elevation.
The weekend features sunshine and temps warming from the low 70's on Saturday to the upper 70's on Sunday across the lower elevations. We'll stop here and circle back on Thursday with more details about the upcoming rain and slight cool down this weekend.