The weekend outlook: soggy, humid, and stormy

Folks who pinned their hopes on this being a nice weather weekend will likely be disappointed. A very soggy air mass has overtaken Mecklenburg County, with dew points this Friday morning having crept into the very sticky low 70s. Another slowly moving cold front will sag southward throughout the weekend, coming close enough to trigger showers and storms but not bringing any cooler or drier air with it.

Today's skies will be mostly cloudy, keeping local temperatures from rising above the mid-80s. However, when the soggy dew points are factored in the heat index will be at or above 90º this afternoon. Showers and storms are possible anytime this afternoon, lasting throughout the evening and overnight hours.

The forecast for both Saturday and Sunday look similar to today, with morning lows not dropping below 70º. Afternoon highs will top out in the mid- to upper 80s both days, with heat indices climbing back into the 90s. Showers and storms will continue periodically all weekend, adding up to create a potential for flash flooding by late in the weekend. 

Check out these three map panels which illustrate the "Excessive Rain Outlook":

Friday's, Saturday's, and Sunday's outlooks are shown left-to-right, with the red star indicating Mecklenburg County. Green shading is a Marginal Risk (5+%) of excessive rain, while the yellow is a Slight Risk (15+%) of flash flooding. Sunday looks to be the wettest day of the three locally, with up to two inches of rain possible throughout Sunday night.

 So those with outdoor weekend plans requiring dry weather may need to modify them. Also, with the potential for thunderstorms all weekend the threats of lightning and strong winds will need to be considered. Better to be safe than sorry!