Warmup Leads to Strong Storm Chances This Weekend

It was a frigid beginning to the week, but things are slowly warming up nicely as we finish the week. Unfortunately, this warmup leads to strong storm chances this weekend.

Soggy Friday

Raindrops keep falling on my head and yours to start off the end of the week. But the good news is the greatest chance for rain today will be during the morning hours.

Don’t get me wrong, the chance of rain will stick with us through the day, but they will diminish as we work into the afternoon and evening. Cloud cover will keep temperatures from becoming too mild, but I still say getting close to 50º is an improvement. Shower chances taper overnight with a low near 45º.

Heavy Rain, Strong Storms for Saturday

Springtime (almost) makes an appearance for the day on Saturday with much milder temperatures and the chance for strong storms…all thanks to a potent storm system.

That warm front is going to attempt to get into our area during the day, leading to breezy southwest winds…allowing us to warm to near 65º for a high in the afternoon! But…the warmth doesn’t come without a cost.

Saturday's Severe Weather Outlook. (SPC) — Saturday’s Severe Weather Outlook. (SPC)

This system tomorrow is so dynamic and the winds are so strong with it that we may be able to overcome the lack of instability and fire off a few strong storms. This won’t be a widespread outbreak but we can’t rule out damaging winds or an isolated spin-up tornado. I think the biggest threat, though, will be flooding.

The good news is that we’re not talking amounts anywhere close to what we’ve had with other systems to far this year and that most area gauges are below flood stage. But 1-to-1.5 inches of rain could certainly cause drainage problems and ponding on roadways, so keep an eye out.

How the NAM thinks Saturday will play out. (Pivotal Weather)

In terms of timing, I think we’ll see some rain in the morning with the afternoon and evening hours being primetime for most of the heavy rain and/or strong storms. We clear those out late and dry out overnight with a low near 45º once again.

Sunday is the Pick of the Weekend

If you like mild(er) temperatures and sunshine, then I have the perfect weekend topper for you…sunshine!

Whatever boundary sweeps through the area late Saturday night won’t keep us from warming up to near 60º on Sunday afternoon. We’ll have a bit of high pressure to thank for the mostly sunny skies overhead and westerly breezes. All in all, not a bad finish to the weekend, with overnight lows near 40º.

Next Week: Mild Start, More Storms

Things stay above average and dry to begin the work week, with daytime highs in the mid-upper 50s. Then attention shifts to Wednesday, where we’ll warm up handsomely to around 70º, but also have to deal with another potent storm system that will bring us showers and storms. We’re certainly keeping an eye on it.

Sidebar: Ah yes, back when The Walking Dead was only mildly annoying. (Giphy) — Sidebar: Ah yes, back when *The Walking Dead* was only mildly annoying. (Giphy)

That just about does it for me! Follow our live weather feed @wxornotbg for the latest on your weekend forecast. Have a terrific Friday!