NC Weather Forecast for Raleigh, Durham and Fayetteville, NC – ABC11 Raleigh-Durham

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) — A cooler air mass is moving southeast across the Midwest this afternoon and by mid-afternoon is accumulating from central Lake Erie southwestward into western Kentucky. Temperatures on the cooler side of the front are about 10-15 degrees cooler than readings ahead of it, but with the coldest part of the air mass heading east rather than south, there will only be a few degrees of cooling here in triangle tomorrow. The cold front, marking the leading edge of cooler weather, will move here around midnight tonight, marked by a wind shift from the southwest to the northwest and then to the north. Any frontal precipitation will remain well to the north over northern West Virginia.

Temperatures will drop slightly into the mid-70s for tomorrow and Friday, but are expected to return to the low 80s on Saturday. A second, stronger cold front will move through the area late Saturday. The return of moisture ahead of this front is a bit more than the current front, so there is a chance for a shower or two later Saturday or Saturday night as the front moves through.

Behind this second front moves a much cooler and drier air mass with temperatures in the mid-60s, several degrees below the historical average. Although it’s only a few degrees below average, after a few days of pleasant weather in the upper 70s to 80s will be a marked change.

Warm weather will quickly return in the middle of next week as elevations rise and the ridge builds up, temperatures will once again top out near 80. With continued dry weather expected next week, we’ll have to watch carefully the places to the west and in the mountains where the devastation from Elena had left many trees down. These trees will continue to dry out and can become very dangerous fuels as we move into secondary fire season.

Tropical discussion: Impacts from a non-tropical system merging with convection from ex-Hurricane Oscar will develop in Bermuda today and may generate storm surge along the coast by tomorrow. There is a moderate potential for tropical development in the central or western Caribbean through the middle of next week. More on that in the coming days.

Have a nice evening!

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