Here’s when NC could get more rain + a break from intense heat as Beryl crosses the US
The remnants of Hurricane Beryl and a slow-moving cold front could bring rain to much of North Carolina this week along with a brief respite from the intense heat.
Beryl made landfall in Texas around 4 a.m. Monday near Matagorda, on the coast about 100 miles southwest of Houston. The National Hurricane Center said the storm had sustained winds of more than 80 mph when it came ashore and though it weakened to a tropical storm, it still had winds of 70 mph late Monday morning.
One man died near Houston when a tree fell on his home, according to news reports.
How is Beryl tracking in the US?
Beryl, now a tropical storm, was moving north-northeast Monday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center, whose forecasters say the system should turn northeastward and accelerate across the lower Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley.
Beryl is expected to dissipate by mid-day Friday around New York or farther north.
Will Beryl affect North Carolina?
While the storm is not expected to cross North Carolina on its way north, moisture Beryl is carrying will combine with what’s already in the air, increasing the chance of showers and thunderstorms here.
Meteorologist Nick Luchetti in the National Weather Service’s Raleigh office said Monday the best chance of rain will be Thursday through Saturday, when a cold front that’s expected to approach on Wednesday likely will stall for a bit over western and central North Carolina.
Combined with a low-pressure system developing over the Southeast, this set-up creates a “marginal” risk for excessive rainfall, forecasters say, especially Friday into Saturday.
In places where there has been heavy rain recently, and in low-lying areas that don’t drain well, isolated heavy storms could cause some flash flooding, Luchetti said.
What about the heat?
Forecasters say it will continue to be extremely hot on Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures in the mid-90s and heat indices above 100 degrees in the afternoons. Thursday the high should be in the low 90s, the Weather Service says.
Clouds and rain should make Friday noticeably cooler; forecasters say Friday’s high should be around 86 degrees.
Saturday, it will warm back to around 90 and on Sunday, the forecast is for mostly sunny skies and a high of around 94 degrees.
This story was originally published July 8, 2024 at 3:45 PM.
