Dry conditions have settled in across most of the state with this beautiful fall weather we have been experiencing, but we’ll see some changes before the weekend is over thanks, in part, to a tropical system that will be heading into the Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical Storm Nate will eventually move north into the Gulf of Mexico early this weekend where it will likely strengthen into a hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center predicts Nate could make landfall Sunday morning anywhere from eastern Louisiana to the Florida panhandle. It would then weaken over land as it tracks over western North Carolina or Tennessee Monday.

That track would keep the heaviest rain from Nate over western North Carolina. However, we will see tropical moisture increase over the southeastern United States. That will result in the chance for at least scattered showers and storms in central and eastern North Carolina starting as early as Saturday night.

The chance for scattered showers and storms will then be in the forecast each day through the first half of next week. Locations near the mountains and western Piedmont could see as much as 2 to 5 inches of rain through Wednesday. Central North Carolina including Raleigh and Fayetteville should see around 1 to 2 inches. Closer to the coast an inch or less is forecast.  

A slight change in the track of Nate could change the forecast rainfall in North Carolina. Inland tropical systems can also produce severe storms including tornadoes near and east of the storm's track. Stay tuned to Weather on the 1s on Spectrum News for updates.