A pattern flip begins a cooler than average period

This - Sunday - morning's temperatures were quite a relief from the "hot and stickies" of the past several weeks. The award for lowest temperature found among Mecklenburg County weather stations went to the South Hill airport, which dropped to 59º due to drier air and clear skies overnight. This afternoon those readings will top out near 80º under sunny skies amid northeasterly breezes.

This cooler regime is thanks to an atmospheric pattern flip, in which temperatures across the eastern half of the U.S. look to remain at or below average for a while. Locally, the month of August begins with average highs near 90 and ends with highs in the mid-80s (average morning lows are roughly 20º lower than the highs).  The upcoming week will thus be cooler than average with daily highs in the low to mid-80s.

Sunshine will prevail over the first part of the work week, but clouds and precipitation will move back in Wednesday. The cold front which brought this wonderfully cool air mass is stalled across the Gulf states, and a low pressure center will form along it off the Carolina coast. That will usher in clouds and rain for a couple days, but at this point the end of the week looks dry again.

Meanwhile, it's worth noting that August also brings an significant increase in tropical activity chances in the Atlantic and Caribbean basins. This graphic illustrates that increase, with the peak arriving in mid-September:

There isn't any tropical threat on the near horizon, but folks should keep an eye on forecasts.