Meteorologist Kristy Steward's First Warning Forecast
Good Wednesday evening! We have a very active roller coaster ride weather pattern the next few days. We’ll have the remnants from Nicole followed by a powerful cold front.
Tonight remains mild with increasing clouds and lows in the mid to upper 50s. Thursday stays pretty quiet. Mostly dry, just a few spotty showers possible. There will be more clouds than sunshine and an easterly breeze at 10-15 MPH. Temperatures warm into the low 70s Thursday. Thursday night is when we start to see rain moving in from Nicole’s remnants.
Nicole’s remnants will hit us the hardest on Friday, Veterans Day. Unfortunately, it will be a soggy, windy day, not good for any outdoor activities. If you have Veterans Day plans, I recommend moving them to Thursday or Saturday if they can’t be moved indoors on Friday.
Strong south winds of 15-25 MPH will help warm temperatures into the mid 70s Friday. Throughout the entire day, we’ll have scattered showers and storms, but the greatest threat for severe weather is Friday afternoon and evening as Nicole’s remnants merge with an approaching cold front.
All of our North Carolina communities are already under a level 2 of 5 risk for severe storms and our Virginia communities are under a level 1 of 5 risk, however, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that level 2 risk being extended into Virginia too. Either way, all threats are on the table. We’ll see localized heavy downpours dumping up to 2” of rain, creating localized flash flooding. Strong gusty winds and brief spin-up tornadoes are also possible and very common with tropical systems. Stay weather aware Friday PM!
Saturday will be a mostly dry day with Nicole’s remnant rain clearing out just before sunrise. More sunshine than clouds and temperatures in the low to mid 70s. Then the cold front plows through and that brings us a rush of cold air.
High temperatures plunge into the low 50s Sunday. In the morning, we could have some isolated showers behind the front, but not a lot of rain on Sunday. Not only will it be chilly, it will be breezy too. Break out the thicker jacket! Lows drop into the upper 30s Sunday night.
The first half of the workweek will be mostly dry with a mix of sun and clouds. Temperatures gradually rise into the mid 50s Tuesday and Wednesday.
Tropical Update:
Nicole is now a Category 1 hurricane with 75 MPH sustained winds. It’s located 20 miles ENE of Freeport Grand Bahama Island and is moving W at 13 MPH. Nicole is forecast to make landfall near Port St. Lucie, Florida tonight and gradually weaken as it crosses over to the west coast of Florida. Then it will turn north toward the Appalachian Mountains. Nicole’s remnants will be to our west on Friday, merging with a cold front, bringing us potentially severe weather Friday afternoon and evening.
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