Sunny Saturday; Pop Up Showers Sunday

Good morning folks! Most of SW NC picked up 0.10 - 0.25" of rain overnight, however there are several gauges throughout Graham, Cherokee, and Clay counties with totals above 1.25 - 1.50". The drying trend continues for today and Saturday, with showers returning to the region on Sunday and ramping up coverage early next week. This is due to a high pressure system sitting overhead today (Friday) and Saturday, shifting east to the eastern seaboard, while at the same time an upper level low in Texas migrates northeast. This setup will bring copious amounts of moisture to the region, setting the stage for a muggy end to the weekend that will carry over into early next week. Although showers return on Sunday, coverage will be scattered and thunderstorm activity at a minimum, increasing on Monday and Tuesday to cover nearly all of SW NC, with heavy downpours a possibility. Temps peak this weekend to the mid 80's on Saturday and Sunday, cooling down to the upper 70's Monday and Tuesday due to increasing shower coverage but as coverage wanes later next week, temps return to the low 80's sometime Wednesday or Thursday.

We'll wrap up the work week today on a positive note as clouds clear the region and sunny skies take over, allowing temps to push into the low 80's across the valleys. An isolated shower is still a possibility along the Parkway today, in particular the Great Balsams section. Overnight lows will settle into the low - upper 50's depending upon elevation, under mostly clear skies.

Sunshine continues into Saturday and temps warm to the mid 80's across the valleys, possibly touching the upper 80's for an hour or two in the smaller, more paved downtown areas like Sylva, Franklin, and Bryson City. An isolated shower is possible just about anywhere tomorrow but this is typical for summer and we expect plenty of sunshine to spend most of the day on the water; delayed harvest opens Saturday. Overnight lows settle into the mid 50's - low 60's depending upon elevation, under mostly clear skies.

Sunday starts out pleasant but we'll notice an uptick in moisture levels as the day moves along, with temps warming to the mid 80's across the valleys; upper 60's above 5000'. Mostly sunny skies start the day and scattered light - moderate showers will end the day, with the best chance for rain occurring along or near the N GA and SC state lines.

Shower coverage blossoms to widespread Monday and Tuesday, with mostly cloudy skies dominating the landscape in between showers. Deep southerly flow will provide us with above average moisture levels, so high that it might be impossible to dry wet clothes outside over the two day period. Temps will hold to the upper 70's each afternoon and as of today, it looks like the models are showing a chance for a 0.50 - 0.75" of rain over the two day period, with much higher amounts likely for locations that experience a slow moving, heavy downpour.

We'll stop here and circle back on Sunday with a more detailed breakdown of the soupy setup for early next week and extend the timeline into Thursday. ENJOY!