Wet weather now appears likely for the Carolinas from the end of this upcoming weekend through the first couple days of next week. A developing system along the Gulf coast this weekend will spread clouds into the area by early Sunday morning. Rain will likely follow by afternoon and evening. That rain should then continue off and on through Tuesday.
Early forecast data suggests one to three inches of rain may fall during that time in North and South Carolina. For much of North Carolina, that would be more rain than what fell during the entire month of November. Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte all saw less than an inch of rain last month.
Wet weather early next week will be a welcome sight to many especially in the western Carolinas where drought conditions have been expanding through the fall months.
The extremely dry conditions have fueled record wildfires around the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. That includes the fires that destroyed many homes and businesses around Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Unfortunately, the rainfall next week will only put a small dent in the rainfall deficit in the western Carolinas. Asheville is currently over 10 inches below normal in rainfall for 2016.
The long range forecast for winter is not good news for the drought conditions. A La Niña weather pattern will likely bring below average rainfall to much of the southeastern United States from December through February.
Image courtesy: NOAA.
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