Windy Friday; Picture Perfect Saturday
Good morning folks! Forecasted rain totals have been cut significantly for the upcoming event starting later today, ending early Friday morning. We are now expecting roughly 0.30 - 0.70" of rain to fall across the region, which is roughly a reduction of a half inch across the board from our previous discussion on Tuesday. We'll take whatever we can get to help knock down some of the pollen and dust, but we're still a ways out from entering a drought and looking ahead into next week, we'll have several chances for additional rainfall. After the frontal passage tomorrow mid morning, we'll enter a short lived period of cooler, more seasonable weather, with sunshine dominating the forecast Friday through the first half of Sunday. Windy conditions setup shop Friday afternoon and hold steady through the morning hours on Saturday, with temps reaching the low 70's Friday, warming to the upper 70's by Sunday. Moisture returns to the area Sunday but showers look to hold off till Monday morning, with a summer time look as pop up showers become the norm as opposed to a front driven setup. Temps remain on the warm side of normal for early next week, pushing to the upper 70's Monday through Wednesday, alongside a mixed bag of sun, partly cloudy skies, and afternoon pop up thunderstorms.
Widespread rain moves through the region tonight, ending around sunrise on Friday and the highest totals will be found closer to the TN line, with 0.75" possible on the highest end, while most people pick up a hair over a quarter inch of rain. Temps tonight dip into the low 40's - low 50's depending upon elevation, with westerly winds picking up to 10 - 15mph as we near sunrise.
Friday will be windy but also sunny and moisture levels will drop considerably later in the day; perhaps push your burn closer to sunrise if you must or wait till Sunday if you are able. Temps warm to the mid 50's Friday above 5000', while the valleys push into the low 70's, alongside NW winds around 10 - 20mph throughout the day, gusting to 30mph across the highest elevations. Friday night will be chilly as temps dip into the upper 30's above 3500', while the valleys settle into the low - mid 40's, all under clear skies with continuing westerly winds around 10mph.
If you have been waiting for a crystal clear day to snap some long rang views then Saturday is your day. Full sunshine and low dewpoints will setup a perfect day to hit the Parkway or your favorite high elevation trail. Temps Saturday push to the upper 50's - mid 70's depending upon elevation, with overnight lows settling into the low - upper 40's under clear skies.
Moisture begins to return to the region on Sunday, with temps pushing into the upper 70's - low 80's across the valleys. Clouds will build throughout the day and isolated showers are likely to break out sometime during the evening hours, spilling over into Monday.
Monday and Tuesday will feel more like summer than spring with high dewpoints across the region, coupled with afternoon pop up showers and thunderstorms. Temps push to the upper 70's both days and if enough sunshine stick around each morning, then the low 80's is a possibility for the valleys.
We'll stop here and circle back Saturday late morning with a new discussion. ENJOY!