Soaking Rain Wed - Fri; Upper 50's Thur
Good morning folks! We will enjoy one more day of dry weather before showers arrive Wednesday afternoon, becoming widespread overnight into Thursday and then peaking in terms of intensity/rates Thursday afternoon into Friday morning. Most of the rain will be over by midday Friday and then we'll enjoy a short lived break from the rain on Saturday, with dry weather extending into Sunday morning. It's possible showers return Sunday afternoon but the models have not fully come around to this solution, however we will stick with this in our timeline until we see a change in the overall setup. Temps all the while will be above freezing from Wednesday late morning through Friday afternoon, dropping below 32°F Friday evening as colder air pours into the region after the front exits earlier in the day. Even the highest elevations around 6000 - 6400' will stay above freezing, ensuring all of the recent snow will melt from the moderate - heavy rain Wednesday into Friday. Afternoon highs hang out in the mid 40's - mid 50's depending upon elevation today through Friday, peaking on Thursday as temps reach the upper 50's across the valleys. Cooler temps return this weekend, dropping to the low 50's on Saturday and then mid - upper 40's Sunday for the lower elevations (mid - upper 30's above 4500').
Side note: Thank you to everyone who came out to Innovation Station on Sunday. We were bummed we could not fully max out the snowmaking setup due to the water shutdown but we hope the little we did make (see picture above or on home page) was enough to generate some excitement for the kids. We are already planning for a second round and can't wait to do another event, maybe this time more adult oriented?
Kicking off the timeline on Tuesday we'll enjoy sunny skies once again, although clouds will begin to build across the Plateau later this afternoon, lowering and expanding to all of SW NC as the night moves along. Temps warm to the mid 50's this afternoon across the valleys, settling into the mid - upper 20's in the valleys, while the ridgelines and the Plateau sit in the low - mid 30's (inversion and early cloud cover).
Wednesday starts off the day with mostly cloudy skies alongside isolated showers dotting the SC state line. Shower coverage will be slow to increase as the day moves along, with scattered coverage for SW NC by the late afternoon hours. Coverage continues to fill in as we move through the overnight hours, becoming widespread before midnight. Most of the area will pick up a quarter - half inch of rain over the 24 hour period ending 8am Thursday. Temps will be noticeably cooler as they struggle to climb past the low 40's - low 50's depending upon elevation, followed by overnight lows in the upper 30's - mid 40's.
Thursday will be our wettest day and the late afternoon hours in particular are likely to be the peak window for rainfall rates and coverage. Most of SW NC will pick up 1.5 - 2.5" over the 24 hour period ending 8am Friday, so plan for soaking rain as you move around town. The one silver lining will be the temps as they soar to the upper 50's on southeasterly flow, followed by overnight lows in the upper 40's (which is normally our high in the valley this time of year).
Friday wraps up the rain with scattered showers before noon and clouds will be slow to clear the area, fully exiting sometime Friday evening. Temps make it to the mid 40's - mid 50's but temps will drop in earnest after 3pm, with westerly winds ushering in colder temps that should bring overnight lows down to the low - upper 20's.
Plan for time outdoors on Saturday, possibly Sunday but if you have plans for Sunday, try and keep them in the morning as rain is possible later in the day. Temps warm to the low 50's Saturday for the lower elevations, while the ridgelines return to the mid 30's and we'll finally be back to our normal mid 30's - upper 40's elevation range by Sunday.
We'll stop here and circle back on Thursday (I promise) with a closer look at the chance for rain Sunday and Monday. ENJOY!