Cool start Thursday ahead of gorgeous day😎
We'll have a cool morning on what will be a lovely day.
As you get up, it will be clear and cool, with lows in the upper 50s.
By 10 a.m., we'll be in the low 70s, but there won't be a cloud in sight.
- Wednesday night: Partly cloudy and comfy, low of 58
- Thursday: Partly cloudy and dry. High of 81.
- Friday: Plenty of sunshine. Highs in the upper 70s.
Temperatures, humidity on the decline
The rest of the week will be slightly cooler and sunny, with temperatures staying in the low to mid 80s.
Highs will be in the low 80s, 81 and 82 degrees, by Thursday and Friday.
"A stronger north flow aloft on Friday will allow for even less humid air with dew points in the 30s and 40s along with temperatures for a lot of us in the 70s," WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said.
The humidity will continue to decrease throughout the week. By Thursday and Friday, the humidity won't be an issue – but the break won't last long.
We'll also be in for cooler mornings, with lows dropping into the 50s by Thursday and into the weekend. Lows for the rest of the week will remain cool, staying between the upper 50s and low 60s.
Thanks to low rain chances, it will be a great week to get outside.
"I think Friday will be the 'feel good' day of the week with highs in the mid 70s and 80 degrees with dew points in the 40s," said Maze.
Weekend warmup on the way
We have a beautiful weekend in store!
Temperatures will gradually climb back up this weekend, with highs in the low 80s Saturday and mid 80s on Sunday.
This break in heat and humidity will not last long. We'll be back in the upper 80s with higher humidity next week.
RDU closes out warmest spring on record
May 31 is the last day of meteorological spring and we closed it out on a hot streak.
The average temperature during meteorological spring was 64.4 degrees, 4.5 degrees higher than average. Additionally, we had 9.6 inches of rainfall this month. While the rain from Memorial Day weekend helped, we finished the season 1 inch below the average amount of rainfall.
Additionally, it was a hotter than usual May, As of May 27, North Carolina had 17 days that were hotter than the average day.
7-day forecast for central NC
- Wednesday: A few clouds. High of 85.
- Thursday: Partly cloudy and dry. High of 81.
- Friday: Plenty of sunshine. Highs in the upper 70s.
- Saturday: Mostly clear. Highs in the low 80s.
- Sunday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 80s.
- Monday: Partly cloudy, possible chance for showers. Highs in the upper 80s.
- Tuesday: Partly cloudy, very warm and humid. Highs in the upper 80s.
Prepare for a busy 2024 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season will see 17 to 25 named storms in the Atlantic basin, according to the NOAA forecast. The agency has never predicted a higher number of storms for a season.
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 N.C. State.
In 2024, NOAA researchers predict:
- 17 to 25 named storms
- 8 to 13 hurricanes
- 4 to 7 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher)
The NOAA forecast is in line with earlier forecasts issued by North Carolina State and Colorado State universities.
A combination of a La Niña pattern and record warm waters in the Atlantic Ocean set up the conditions for storms to form, organize and strengthen.
