ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Western North Carolina residents can expect another swing in temperatures this week, along with scattered showers and thunderstorms to start the workweek before a stretch of dry, warmer weather settles in.
According to the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg, temperatures will rebound Monday after a noticeably cooler Sunday. Highs across much of the region are expected to reach near-normal levels, but another cooldown arrives Tuesday before a warming trend develops later in the week.
Forecasters say scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop Monday afternoon, with the greatest chance of storms across the southern half of the forecast area. While widespread severe weather is not anticipated, an isolated severe storm cannot be ruled out.
Meteorologists said daytime heating and increasing moisture will help fuel storm development, particularly near the mountains and along a weak boundary moving into the region. Some weather models also suggest a cluster of storms from the central United States could approach southwestern North Carolina and the Savannah River Valley Monday evening, though confidence in that scenario remains low.
Any storms that develop could produce gusty winds and heavy rain, but the overall severe weather threat remains marginal.
Cooler and more stable air is expected to move back into the area Monday night and Tuesday. High temperatures Tuesday are forecast to be about 10 degrees cooler than Monday, with scattered showers possible, especially during the morning hours.
In Asheville, Monday’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with a high near 81 degrees. A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms develops during the afternoon and evening.
Tuesday brings a 50 percent chance of showers, mainly before 11 a.m., with a high near 71 degrees. Skies are expected to clear Tuesday night as temperatures fall to around 49 degrees.
The weather pattern shifts significantly beginning Wednesday, when dry conditions are expected to take hold across the region. Forecasters say Wednesday through Saturday should remain rain-free, marking the first extended stretch of dry weather in more than a week.
Temperatures will gradually climb through the second half of the week, reaching the upper 70s Wednesday, lower 80s Thursday and mid-80s by Friday. By the weekend, temperatures are expected to return to near-normal levels for early June.
The National Weather Service says the dry pattern is being driven by a strengthening area of high pressure that will settle over the Southeast, limiting moisture and reducing rain chances through at least Saturday. The next opportunity for typical summertime afternoon thunderstorms may not arrive until late in the weekend.