Full Thursday afternoon post

First of all, Mecklenberg officially reached Code Red ozone status for today. You know we are getting into ozone season as Jeff and I have fired up the air purifier here in the weather office that converts O3 to O2. You can keep tabs of the latest count by clicking here...

http://maps.co.mecklenburg.nc.us/website/airquality/

The forecast for tomorrow is Code Orange.

Aside from the ozone, the heat is oppresive today. Here are some of the 3pm temps...

Shelby: 97
Salisbury: 97
Gastonia: 95
Charlotte airport: 95

Current heat index values are in the upper 90s to low 100s area-wide. Please use caution outdoors today.

The weather is a-changin' ....
Changes are on the way as a frontal boundary eases our way over the next couple of days. There are some active thunderstorms in the mountains and foothills this afternoon, and it looks like that zone of shower and storm chances will ease into the viewing area beginning tomorrow. So, I expect scattered showers and storms tomorrow and Saturday, mainly during the afternoon and evening hours.

By Sunday, tropical moisture will be involved, and it still looks like Sunday through Wednesday will feature numerous showers and storms. The exact details are still in question, but some generous amounts of rain could fall in that time period around the Carolinas.

Tropics...
The area of disturbed weather northeast of the Bahamas is getting better organized. It could become a tropical system over the next day or two. However, regardless of whether or not it becomes a tropical system, it will still increase shower and storm chances over the southeast US late in the weekend and early next week.

Speaking of rainfall, even though most sites are above average for the month of June, most of that rain came at one time....Alberto's rains. So, the soil has substantually dried out in many spots. And, our friends in Cleveland county largely missed out on that rainfall. So, we are still very much so in need of rain across most of western and central North Carolina. Now it is a little different story up in Raleigh where 5-10 inches of rain fell with Alberto.

T-ball...
I mentioned back on Monday that I am one of the coach's for Jayden's t-ball team. This evening, we have our first game. It should be a lot of fun. We have the video camera charged and ready to go and the folding chair packed for my wife and youngest daughter. Of course, their first game has to occur on the hottest day so far this year.....but that's OK, doesn't hurt to shed a few pounds steering kids around the bases....