As the holiday weekend approaches, all eyes turn to the Gulf towards what could be our first tropical depression or tropical storm of the season. Regardless of formation, expect a unsettled, and likely wet, Memorial Day weekend ahead across North Carolina.
- Wet Memorial Day weekend expected across North Carolina.
- Thursday into Friday will have scattered storms.
- Low pressure area has 70 percent chance of development.
Thursday into Friday will feature additional scattered showers and storms as high pressure ridges down the Eastern Seaboard then scoots eastward offshore. This will, once again, open the door for an unsettled, moist southerly flow by Saturday that will eventually tap into deep, tropical moisture over the weekend.
A developing area of low pressure now centered over the Yucatan Peninsula continues to become more defined, prompting the National Hurricane Center to now give it a 70% chance of development over the next five days. While models are agreeing on the likelihood of some kind of tropical development --whether it be into a tropical depression or tropical storm-- there continues to be variations on what track it will take. Some computer models take it as far west as New Orleans, Louisiana while others take it as far east as the Florida Panhandle. Regardless of formation or track, the result will be the same for North Carolina: A soggy Memorial Day weekend ahead.
Late Sunday into Memorial currently looks like the "wettest" time frame, as several models eject bands of heavy rain through the state during that period. However, we should see some breaks in the rain from time to time giving us some kind of dry time to sneak a few outdoor activities in. Nevertheless, plan for some rain!