While we tracked a few spotty showers/sprinkles yesterday, it was another mostly dry day across the region despite plenty of clouds. Today, the pattern is very similar with more clouds than sun, and just a few spotty showers/patch of drizzle scattered in with a lot of dry hours. Highs today once again run in the mid to upper 60s.
The rain chance goes way up tomorrow as a few scattered showers start the day deep inland, and then become more widespread and heavier midday into the afternoon. In the evening, humidity spikes and with a front crashing into it, it’ll help fuel a narrow band of downpours and thunder. All said and done, many towns and cities pick up 0.5-1.0″ with localized 2″ amounts possible. The main risk will be some localized street flooding in poor drainage areas with any storm.
That front clear the coast by Friday morning, setting the stage for a mainly dry pattern through the weekend, into Monday as moisture from Helene is suppressed to our southwest. By late Tuesday/Wednesday of next week, another around of showers is possible.
Helene is gaining strength near the Yucatan Channel this morning and will make its move into the eastern Gulf later day. Rapid strengthening is expected as Helene is forecasted to become a major hurricane (Cat 3 or higher) before making landfall late tomorrow in the Big Bend region of Florida. Farther inland, damaging wind gusts will be a concern all the way into Georgia with flooding rains likely into the Southern Appalachians .
