Sunshine through Tues; Showers Wed?

Good morning folks! Yesterday's rain was roughly in line with forecasted totals as the majority of SW NC picked up anywhere from 0.30 - 0.60", however the Southern Highlands Plateau and escarpment cashed in with totals exceeding 2" in many spots. The highest total was out of Lake Toxaway at 2.87". The fog that followed was so dense in valleys that it forced the WCU vs VMI baseball game to end early, but we got the win so we'll take it! We'll enjoy sunshine today and Monday and although Tuesday will be dry, clouds are likely to develop as the day moves along, starting off sunny and ending partly - mostly cloudy. Wednesday through the end of the week is still a fluid situation and it seems an upper level low will enter the region later in the day, possibly overnight, setting the stage for afternoon showers that may extend into Thursday. Cooler, seasonal temps are likely to follow for the end of the work and school week.

We round out the weekend today under sunny skies and southwesterly flow will push temps to the mid 70's across the valleys, while the highest elevations above 5500' hold to the mid 50's. Winds eventually shift to out of the west later this afternoon and gusty conditions will setup across the higher elevations, with wind speeds around 15 - 25mph, gusting to 35mph at times. Temps tonight settle into the low - upper 40's under clear skies, with steady winds around 10mph out of the northwest.

Monday and Tuesday will be dry and warm as temps push to the upper 50's - mid 70's both days, although Tuesday may be a degree or two cooler than Monday due to increasing clouds after midday. Overnight lows settle into the low - upper 40's each night, under clear skies Monday night and under partly - mostly cloudy skies Tuesday night.

We're going ahead and adding more clouds than sun to the forecast on Wednesday, while other outlets have sunshine continuing through the day. It seems we'll end up with more moisture than currently advertised and this is our reasoning for adding more clouds than sun to the forecast. When coupled with the influence of an upper level low, temps will only make it to the upper 60's across the valleys, with showers breaking out before sunset. Shower activity is likely to spill over into Thursday, with another cool day on tap as afternoon highs hold to the mid - upper 60's.

Friday may be dry if the upper level low is able to exit quickly but the models point to another weak disturbance for next Saturday that could bring rain back to the region. We'll stop here and circle back on Tuesday morning with much more detail for the mid week event and possible Saturday event. Enjoy the sunshine!