90-degree heat on tap Thursday ahead of weekend storms

Thursday morning will be comfortable with temperatures in the 60s.

Posted 9:00 a.m. Apr 1 — Updated 10:38 a.m. Today

WRAL Severe Weather Center

RALEIGH, N.C. — Wednesday was hot, but Thursday will be even hotter.

Thursday morning will be comfortable with temperatures in the 60s. We have a dense fog advisory in effect for our eastern counties until 9 a.m. So give yourself some extra time on the roads this morning.

Dense fog advisory in effect until 9 a.m.

Temperatures will climb into the 80s by 11 a.m. and the 90s by 3 p.m.

Hour-by-hour temperatures on Thursday, May 2.

Thursday: Sunshine and clouds mixed. High of 90.
Friday: Partly cloudy skies. High of 91.
Saturday: Isolated showers and storms possible. Highs in the low 80s.

Near-record heat to close the week

It's going to be scorching on Thursday and Friday.

Thursday and Friday will have highs in the 90s. Although it'll be hot, it won't be the record high for May 2 and May 3.

Hottest day of the year possible Thursday

"We will be flirting with those highs," said WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze.

Our temperature outlook through May 11 show a really good chance of above normal heat.

Temperature outlook, Tuesday, May 7, through Monday, May 13.

"It's likely 90s for high will be seen next week," Maze said.

Weekend outlook, Friday, May 3, through Sunday, May 5.

Showers in store this weekend

We will see a 40% chance for storms from Saturday through Sunday.

Rain chances, Thursday, May 2, through Monday, May 6.

"We will see afternoon and evening storms each day," said WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner. "Mainly what we will see is afternoon and evening rain and storms. There is a chance of rain in the morning both days."

Futurecast for 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 4.

With all this warm weather, the flowers and trees are blooming – meaning pollen counts are high. If you're sneezing, spring allergies could be to blame.

As of April 29, rainfall stats for our area are down from normal levels. RDU is in a 2.29" deficit for April while Fayetteville is in a deficit of a little over an inch.

Both Raleigh and Fayetteville are in rainfall deficits for April.

7-day forecast for central NC

Thursday: Sunshine and clouds mixed. High of 90.
Friday: Partly cloudy skies. High of 91.
Saturday: Isolated showers and storms possible. Highs in the low 80s.
Sunday: 40% chance for rain and storms. Highs in the low 80s.
Monday: Partly cloudy skies and hotter. Highs in the low 80s.
Tuesday: Small chances for showers in the afternoon and evening. High of 87.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy skies with a chance for showers and storm. Potentially the hottest day of the year with highs in the low 90s.

Prepare for a busy 2024 Atlantic hurricane season

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season will see 15 to 20 named storms in the Atlantic basin, according to researchers at North Carolina State University.

The number of named storms is significantly higher than the long-term average and moderately higher than recent 30-year averages, according to Lian Xie, professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences at NC State.

In 2024, NC State researchers predict:

15-20 named storms
10 to 12 may grow strong enough to become hurricanes (the historical average is six)
Three to four becoming major hurricanes

NC State researchers predict active Atlantic hurricane season with 15-20 named storms

Meanwhile, forecasters at Colorado State University are calling for 24 named storms in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. That is higher than the average year, when 14 storms earn a name.

CSU forecasters say 11 storms will reach hurricane strength, up from the average of seven, and five of those hurricanes could be "major," that is Category 3, 4 or 5, with winds over 111 mph.