Sunshine will give way to clouds and showers Monday

This (Monday) morning skies are clear over Mecklenburg county. Temperatures which began the day in the upper 60s will top out only in the low 80s this afternoon. An upper level shortwave is triggering clouds and showers across western Virginia and North Carolina. This disturbed area of weather is pushing eastward and will block some of the sun's heat while dampening the ground locally later this morning.

Rainfall totals today don't look to be prolific, totaling perhaps a tenth of an inch except in a couple of areas which could see a thunderstorm. Accompanying these showers are higher humidity levels as southwesterly winds pump in more moisture. Thus the "stickiness factor" is higher than the comfortable levels felt over the weekend. 

Tuesday's conditions will be very similar, with clouds and showers prevailing across the county. Temperatures will climb from morning lows near 70 degrees to afternoon highs in the mid-80s. There could be stronger thunderstorms tomorrow after the dinner hour into the evening, so keep an eye on the sky for those.

Some folks - especially those with sensitive noses - may have noticed a slightly smoky smell to the air lately. This is due to smoke from wildfires across the western U.S. This map from AirNow.gov shows the current situation across the nation, with the yellow shading over the East Coast indicating Moderate air quality.

Hopefully this week's rainfall will wash out this smoke and clear the air locally!