The first week of May!

May the Fourth (5/4) be with you! Today's clouds and showers - and perhaps a thunderstorm - are courtesy of the previously discussed upper level low pressure center, which is still swirling around over the Ohio valley. Rain totals so far this weekend range from a half-inch near Boydton to over an inch at the South Hill airport.

Temperatures today (Sunday) will top out in the mid-70s. Since Mecklenburg County is on the east side of  that low pressure center the counter-clockwise air flow around that feature means winds will be out of the south. The Storm Prediction Center has the region under a Marginal Risk - level 1 of 5 - for severe weather today as a weak cold front edges eastward across Virginia. Keep those weather warning sources handy just in case today and tonight.

Monday looks to be sunnier than today, but showers and storms will still be possible after lunchtime and into the evening hours. Tuesday and Wednesday will be mostly sunny and dryer. Temperatures will approach the 80º mark each afternoon through midweek. 

By Thursday the next low pressure system will be tracking across the Gulf states, increasing shower chances locally once again. This graphic provides a look at the overall week ahead in terms of precipitation:

Note that the highest rain totals are across the Deep South, but a slight shift northward of that low pressure track could bump up totals locally. Hopefully the month of May will be wetter than March and April were. That would ease the drought situation before summertime arrives.