The National Weather Service in Charlotte, North Carolina, reports unseasonably warm temperatures for the region, with today's high expected to reach 91 degrees under partly sunny skies. A calm morning wind is set to shift to the south-southwest this afternoon, with speeds ranging from 5 to 7 mph, according to details provided by NWS Charlotte. Tonight's forecast anticipates mostly cloudy conditions, with a low around 72 and gusts as high as 18 mph.
Looking ahead, the weekend promises a 20% chance of showers early tomorrow morning, with wind gusts possibly reaching up to 28 mph. In a slight twist, temperatures are expected to marginally drop following today's high, with Sunday's and Monday's temperatures hovering comfortably in the mid-80s. Conditions will remain partly sunny going into next week.
Notably, the NWS has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for a vast area including northeast Georgia and the western Carolinas. The advisory, obtained from the National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC, highlights the potential for "strong to severe storms" which may bring "very large hail, golf ball-sized or larger, and damaging winds" later today.
Concerning overnight conditions, there's uncertainty on how swiftly a line of showers and thunderstorms will move across the North Carolina mountains and how robust it will remain. Residents should be on alert as "damaging wind gusts" are cited as the main hazard, with a chance for "brief large hail and heavy rainfall," per the same warning. Furthermore, while unlikely, "a brief, isolated tornado cannot be entirely ruled out," suggesting that the weather this weekend could swiftly turn treacherous, as per NWS.
As the storm system progresses, spotters in the region are urged to report any occurrences of significant hail, wind damage, or tornadoes back to the NWS office. The NWS message underscores a very low level of confidence in predicting severe weather conditions for areas east of the mountains after tomorrow morning.
