More Heat & Some Storms in the Friday Forecast - FOX Carolina 21

More Heat & Some Storms in the Friday Forecast

TGIF!  We are going to keep the heat around for the weekend, as well as the chance of some scattered rain & storms, but don't worry - it won't be a wash-out for all the festivals and events going on.

Temperatures this morning are in the 60s and low 70s - so it's another really warm start to the day.  We have a few light rain showers up in SW NC, as well as a few "blips" on the radar through NE GA.  We'll keep the chance of showers - even a t-storm - in our morning forecast, and a 30% chance of showers/storms will stick around through the afternoon as well.

The 30% chance basically means that storms will be widely scattered.  They'll be the "hit-and-miss" type of storms, so there will be plenty of dry time throughout the day.  I wouldn't cancel any outdoor plans that you have, but I would keep an umbrella nearby and seek shelter indoors if you hear thunder, and wait inside for the storm to pass.

Highs will stay very hot today, in the upper 80s in the Upstate towns and the low 80s in the Mountains.  And this weekend will offer no cool-down, as temperatures will stay well above-normal.  Upstate highs will even approach the record on Saturday, as temps rise to near 90° (the record is 91°).

Some of the models are indicating the possibility of a MCS (Mesoscale Convective System - basically a cluster of thunderstorms) affecting parts of our viewing area overnight and early Saturday morning.  As you know (and saw last week), these are very difficult to forecast/predict, but keep that chance in mind.  This would bring higher rain and strong t-storm chances if it pans out (Andy and I are watching an area of storms in MO/IA/IL that could become that MCS). The prime areas to watch would be the TN border areas of WNC, where the storms would impact first.  Kendra will have more updates on this tonight at 10 and 11.

Off-and-on showers and t-storms will linger through the weekend, with the forecast staying unsettled through the middle of next week.  However, temperatures look as if they'll cool down by the middle/end of the week thanks to a stronger cold front.