Cloudy and damp Sunday, but lower humidity is on the way

Fortunately, Mecklenburg County seems to have escaped damage from Saturday's storms. The "cold" front which oozed through the area at about 5:30 p.m. yesterday fostered some severe weather south of the state line. As of this Sunday morning that boundary is draped across South Carolina and northern Georgia.

The effect of that "cold" front's southern position would normally be clear skies and sunshine locally. However, a few upper air disturbances will swing southeast across the county today. Thus clouds and showers - with perhaps a thunderstorm or two - will dominate local conditions. Temperatures will top out in the low 80s this afternoon.

The good news for the remainder of this week is that dew points will drop as drier air shoves out the jungle-like humidity that has plagued the region. Labor Day itself will finally feature sunny skies, with morning temperatures in the comfortable low 60s and afternoon highs in the mid-80s. Daily highs will slowly climb back into the 90s by Thursday before another cold front pushes through.

Something to note about this week in September is that the average peak of the Atlantic hurricane season arrives. The dotted white line on this graphic represents today's date:

But given the much ballyhooed development of a strong El Nino this year's season looks pretty quiet. Let's hope it stays that way. All it takes is one tropical system to ruin someone's day, week, month, or year.