The "Ides of August" herald a typical summer weekend

This weekend Mecklenburg County conditions will feel just like they should this time of year: warm and sticky with a chance of afternoon and evening showers and storms. Temperatures both Friday and Saturday will top out in the mid-80s after morning lows right around 70º. A "cold" front edged through after midnight last night, bulldozing even hotter and stickier air further south.

Sunday looks to be drier and a bit hotter, with local thermometers climbing toward the 90º mark. The combination of strong sunshine and calm winds could make the latter weekend day feel somewhat oppressive, but no heat advisories or warnings are anticipated.

The biggest weather story over the next several days is the approach of soon-to-be Hurricane Erin. Here is the National Hurricane Center's forecast cone for this storm, which is forecast to become a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher):

Two important reminders about these cones:

(1) They do NOT represent the size of the storm...they simply provide an idea of where the center of the storm - the eye - will be at a given time. Strong winds, heavy rain, and rough surf can and do extend well beyond these boundaries.

(2) The cones do NOT show 100% of the possible locations of the eye. The outline covers roughly two-thirds of the path along which the eye could track. That means there's a one-third (33%) chance that the eye could be outside of the cone.

Stay tuned to local weather sources over the next several days for updates on Erin's possible effects on Mecklenburg County conditions. Also bookmark the National Hurricane Center website for the latest info.