Steamy Wednesday! - FOX Carolina 21

Steamy Wednesday!

Good morning, and happy 'Over-the-Hump' day!  We've been tracking storms in Western North Carolina this morning - they brought VERY heavy rainfall and gusty winds to parts of our Mountain territory (mainly eastern spots) through the AM commute hours.  A Flood Advisory is in effect until 10 AM for parts of Madison and Yancey Counties in WNC, where 2-3 inches of rain has fallen. 

While Upstate spots have seen some rain and even a bit of thunder, it hasn't been as active further south.  Rain will continue to drift southward and dissipate over the next few hours.  That means we will see some quiet time through the late-morning, but more storms are possible this afternoon.

As Kendra said in her post yesterday, we will stay on the eastern fringe of a ridge of high pressure, placing us right in the "storm track" again today (storms further north and northwest of us will drift into our region).  While I don't think we'll see as many storms as yesterday, scattered convection is a good bet for several towns later today.  The severe threat isn't quite as high as it was on Tuesday, but there's the chance for a warning or two - as a storm could produce some gusty winds or hail.  Any storm could bring some heavy rainfall and a lot of lightning.

Heat and humidity will be the HUGE story area-wide today, though.  Highs will top out in the upper 90s in the Upstate, but dewpoints in the low 70s will lead to heat index values of 100 to 105 degrees.  Heat Advisories could be posted for some Upstate counties today.  In the Mountains, highs will be near 90 degrees (but it will feel warmer with the high mugginess).

Any storms should fade by late-evening... with an overall quiet night on tap.  Tomorrow will bring less of a storm chance, but more heat.  Highs will be 2-3 degrees higher than today, and despite a degree or two drop in dewpoints, heat index temperatures could reach Heat Advisory criteria in a few counties tomorrow afternoon.

Friday will be another very hot and humid day - with late-day storm chances bumping up a bit.  The weekend will bring slightly cooler temperatures - and humidity will drop a bit (it will still be muggy, but not quite as uncomfortable as it's been).