Hot Friday...Scattered storms this weekend...

Some select highs from Thursday:

RDU:102
Burlington: 99
Chapel Hill: 99
Fayetteville: 98
Charlotte: 97
Wilmington: 95
Greensboro: 94

Here's today's video:


Hot Friday conditions are on tap with highs in the upper 90s around the I-85 corridor and into the 102-104 range around I-95 and the Sandhills. Afternoon heat index values will exceed 105 around the Sandhills and I-95 area and likely top out in the 100-104 degree range for the rest of the Piedmont.

A cold front will drop in this weekend and give us some scattered PM storms tomorrow and a good shower and storm chance Sunday.

The front washes out by Monday, so the chance of rain and storms will fade away. The next front is then due in here by Thursday or Friday.

Tropics...

Tropical Storm Don will make landfall tonight near the Rio Grande, likely in far south Texas. I am still hopeful that at least some of the drought-stricken areas will get some much-needed rain from the system.

There is another tropical wave way out in the Atlantic that stands a decent chance of becoming our next classified system. It could possibly wind up near the Bahamas later next week. See the video for more.

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High heat the next few days....Don in the Gulf

Highs in many Piedmont spots will top out in the upper side of the 90s today. Around the I-95 corridor, it will likely be near 100. Highs tomorrow will likely be a degree or two hotter than today.

Unlike the previous heat wave, this time around, the humidity will not be nearly as oppressive, so the heat index values won't be as extreme.

A cold front drop in this weekend and bring some shower and storm chances from later Saturday through Sunday.

Don...

Don, located near the tip of the Yucatan, is not looking terribly healthy this morning. However, some strengthening is possible as it gets over the very warm Gulf waters.

Don will come ashore along the Texas coast by later tomorrow night.

The big story with Don will likely wind up being the beneficial rains it brings to parts of the severely drought-stricken areas of Texas.

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Heating up....tropics are too...

Highs today will wind up in the mid 90s for many Piedmont spots, and then we will see upper 90s for most tomorrow. By Friday, many of our highs will be close to 100 degrees, and I still anticipate at least upper 90s for Saturday. So, heat is the big story again.

One minor bright spot is what at least today, afternoon humidity levels should be fairly low for most in the region.

The forecast is essentially a dry one until this weekend. Some afternoon storms are possible Saturday, and at this point, Sunday continues to look like a relatively unsettled day with good shower and storm chances.

Tropics...

See the video for some graphics on this, but the disturbance near western Cuba is looking pretty healthy this morning, and there are signs that a circulation is developing. This could very well get classified as a tropical depression later today.

This looks to eventually head toward the western Gulf coast, so all interests down that way need to monitor the system's progress.

A reminder....we have full tropical updates for you on News 14 Carolina at :21 and :51 past the hour.

Also, lots of good information for you on the Tropical Page portion of my site.

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