A transition day as summer-like temperatures finally arrive

Welcome to June 1st! Today marks the beginning of meteorological summer, the overall warmest three calendar months of the year. Today also marks the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts through November 30th. It would be wise to bookmark the National Hurricane Center website to keep up with the latest tropical outlook (hint: they're the experts!).

Meanwhile, Mecklenburg County thermometers recorded lows in the mid-40s this Sunday morning. Sunshine and light winds will characterize today, with afternoon highs climbing into the mid-70s. A cold front pushed south through the area last night and is lurking just south of the NC/VA state line this morning. A weak low pressure along that boundary will pass close enough to bring clouds and possibly a few showers this evening. 

Folks may have noticed milky skies late yesterday into this morning. That's due to smoke from wildfires that are ravaging the Canadian prairies. Northwesterly upper level winds are dragging that smoke across Virginia and states to the south as shown on this satellite image:

At the moment the smoke looks to stay in the upper air, not making its way to the surface to reduce visibility and irritate sensitive lungs. The flip side is that it'll make for some spectacularly colored sunsets!

The work week will remain dry until late Friday. Temperatures will finally warm into summer-like ranges, with afternoon highs rising from the mid-70s Monday to near 90º later in the week. Dew points - and thus humidity levels - will also be on the rise. By the end of the week "sticky" will reenter the local weather vocabulary.