Turning up the heat

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - You may have noticed each day since Sunday has been a little bit warmer than the day before. That trend continues today. There’s plenty of sunshine back in the forecast today, but rather than the cool 70s we enjoyed Sunday and Monday and middle 80s Tuesday, we’ll push 90° in Charlotte this afternoon.

The humidity level is creeping up as well, but that may be offset by a gusty breeze that will kick back up again this afternoon. Rain chances today remain very low.

Highs will be mainly in the upper 80s to near 90° through the rest of the week and the humidity will be back in full force as well. We’ll also bring back the afternoon thunderstorm chance starting Thursday. The best opportunity for wet weather will be over the mountains, with scattered storms developing Thursday.

As for the Charlotte area, it stands right now, there’s about a 40% rain chance Thursday through Saturday as the storms drift off the mountains and push into the Piedmont. Forecast models suggest a weak front may drift east of the WBTV viewing area on Sunday, so in theory, thunderstorm chances should be lower on the back end of the weekend.

In the tropics, Tropical Storm Cristobal is stewing around the Bay of Campeche and is expected to make landfall in eastern Mexico later today or tonight and hang there until the end of the workweek.

Eventually, it is expected to drift north out into the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico, eventually becoming a threat for the northern Gulf Coast region late in the weekend.

Hope you have a great hump day!

- Meteorologist Al Conklin

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