First Alert Weather Days Saturday and Sunday

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Rain is on the way and conditions are heading downhill Saturday and Sunday.

First Alert Headlines

• Clouds increase, but mostly dry Friday
• First Alert Weather Days Saturday & Sunday for rain and cooler conditions
• Expect disruptive weather for outdoor activities

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Friday will be one last quiet and comfortable day ahead of this weekend’s messy weather. Whether you’re beginning your holiday weekend travels or it’s a regular work day, expect good conditions here at home. A mix of sun and clouds will gradually trend cloudier as low pressure off the South Carolina coast begins to drift closer to land. Rain will not be an issue here today, but if you are headed to the coast, expect to run into showers as the days goes on. Highs will clock in below average, but pleasant in the low to mid 70s, with winds picking up to 15-20 mph out of the northeast.

Clouds continue to build overnight, but the rain is expected to continue holding off until after daybreak Saturday. We will begin to pick up some of the chillier air coming in with our weekend storms, as lows head for the upper 40s and low 50s. Breezy with NNE winds holding at 10-15 mph.

Saturday kicks off our pair of First Alert Weather Days as the coastal low begins to track inland over the Carolinas. Spotty showers will break out across the region between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM, starting in the Upstate, and tracking northwest toward the mountains. The rain will be fairly intermittent through mid-afternoon before developing into a steadier and heavier rain for the evening and overnight period. This, as the low is expected to be a bit better organized as it tracks over our area.

Periods of heavy rain will continue through Saturday night into the start of Sunday morning, but some hope is beginning to emerge for the second half of Sunday. With the low now expected to track northwest of us into eastern Tennessee, overall rain coverage is looking lighter by midday and into Sunday afternoon. The showers that do persist will likely still be disruptive along with the breezy conditions, so we’re going to keep the First Alert Weather Day in place for now.

Concerns for flooding have increased a bit thanks to the greater expectation of prolonged, heavy rain Saturday evening and overnight. Rainfall totals of 1″-2″ are expected for most locations in our area, but eastern portions of the Upstate and mountains are more likely to pick up 2″-3″ of rainfall overall. Keep an eye on water levels in your area, and remember to never drive across a flooded roadway.

Temperatures throughout the weekend are going to be far and away the biggest shock to the system. Where high temperatures should be running in the upper 70s and low 80s, we’re in for 60s at best. In fact, some mountain locations may not even make it out of the 50s on Saturday! The chillier air is so unusual, that it could even set a record for coldest high temperature. The current record for May 27 (Saturday) stands at a high of only 65° set in 1963 at GSP Airport. Our current forecast is for a high of only 60°.

As the low begins to weaken and track away from us on Memorial Day, we’ll trend back toward a mix of clouds and sunshine and warmer temperatures. A few isolated showers will be possible, but this will be the lowest risk for rain of the entire weekend. Highs will return to the low and mid 70s, ahead of 70s and 80s toward the middle of next week.

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