Clear skies and patchy fog overnight, with near 90-degree heat on Thursday
Wednesday was another hot day, and we'll haven an even hotter day on tap Thursday!
Temperatures climbed into the mid to upper 80s Wednesday afternoon and the high reached 85 degrees. There will also be a small chance for rain in the late afternoon.
Any rain that came through in the afternoon should be done by the evening, leaving us with clear skies overnight.
"Where it rained, there could be some patchy fog overnight an into the morning," WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said.
Lows will be between the upper 50s and lower 60s.
- Wednesday night: Clear skies, patchy fog possible overnight. Lows between the upper 50s and lower 60s.
- Thursday: Sunshine and clouds mixed. Highs in the upper 80s.
- Friday: Partly cloudy skies. High of 89.
80s here to stay for a while
We'll see temperatures in the 80s for the rest of the week. It'll be a great - but hot - week to get outside.
Thursday and Friday will be dry and hot with highs in the upper 80s, according to Gardner.
Friday's high will be around 89 degrees.
Showers in store this weekend
We will see a 40% chance for storms from Saturday through Sunday.
"We will see afternoon and evening storms each day," WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. "Mainly what we will see is afternoon and evening rain and storms. There is a chance of rain in the morning both days."
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.
7-day forecast for central NC
- Wednesday night: Clear skies, patchy fog possible overnight. Lows between the upper 50s and lower 60s.
- Thursday: Sunshine and clouds mixed. Highs in the upper 80s.
- Friday: Partly cloudy skies. High of 89.
- Saturday: Isolated showers and storms possible. High of 83.
- Sunday: 40% chance for rain and storms. Highs in the low 80s.
- Monday: Partly cloudy skies and hotter. Highs in the mid 80s.
- Tuesday: Small chances for showers in the afternoon and evening. High of 89.
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
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.
