Raleigh residents, brace yourselves for a wet and potentially flood-heavy week. According to the National Weather Service in Raleigh, North Carolina, the region is slated to experience a series of showers and thunderstorms starting today and carrying on through the end of the week. As of this morning, the forecast indicates a 60% chance of precipitation with areas of fog preceding the storms. The NWS warns commuters of low visibility conditions extending a measly 1.25 miles, giving plenty of us more reason to grumble during our morning drive.
The soupy mix of fog and mist that blanketed Raleigh this morning is expected to clear, but moisture is still the word of the day, or rather, the week. Prepare for, mostly cloudy skies with pockets of sunshine barely squeezing through, alongside chances of showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures will hover in the low-to-mid 80s, creating a muggy atmosphere that's just par for the course in a Southern summer. The Hazardous Weather Outlook by the NWS has also signaled a "marginal risk" for Raleigh and its surrounding areas, citing potential "excessive rainfall" and "isolated pockets of flooding" to be the main troublemakers.
As we push into the evening, the trend of tempestuous weather doesn't quite let up, with a continued forecast for showers and the occasional thunderclap keeping night owls on their toes. Overnight lows are steady around 73°F, with winds doing little to alleviate the stickiness with their light whispers from the southwest. While less than a tenth of an inch of rainfall is predicted for tonight, the caveat persists that greater amounts could surprise us should thunderstorms make their way into the mix.
Midweek doesn’t offer much respite with Wednesday's chance of precipitation spiking to 70%. Temperatures tip the scales slightly warmer, peaking near 85°F under mostly cloudy skies once again. The narrative holds — a mix of sunshine, clouds, and, unfortunately, thunderstorms. The Hazardous Weather Outlook warns the public to keep an eye out for isolated heavy downpours which "will remain possible" through to the end of this soggy workweek, so it's perhaps wise to keep umbrellas and rain boots within arm's reach.
Although the skies will grant breaks in the showers, the likelihood of more rain leading into the weekend means that outdoor plans could be dicey at best. The forecast courtesy of our friends at the NWS reflects a rollercoaster of risks, with precipitation chances oscillating between 30% and 40% from Thursday through Saturday.
