Will the skies ever clear? Here’s when sunshine — and heat — return to the Triangle
We’re grateful for the rain, truly, we are. But do we have to make up for months of too-little rainfall all in one week?
It’s been gloomy and rainy here since Sunday, May 11, but forecasters offer hope that Raleigh and central and Eastern North Carolina will get glimpses of sunshine later this week. But that will lead us to another extreme, with high temperatures that are more than 10 degrees above average for this time of year.
Here’s what forecasters say is coming.
When will it stop raining in Raleigh?
There’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms through midnight Tuesday, May 13, according to the National Weather Service with a total of more than a quarter of an inch of additional rain possible Forecasters say locally heavy rain could cause flash flooding in low-lying and urban areas.
Wednesday, we could see the sun through some clouds in the morning before showers and thunderstorms start again at mid-day.
The Weather Service says more than a half-inch of additional rain is possible Wednesday into Wednesday night.
Thursday brings a chance of showers but overall, the forecast is mostly sunny.
How hot will it be this week in Raleigh?
▪ The warm-up starts Thursday, when high temperatures will reach around 87 in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, the Weather Service says.
▪ Friday’s high temperature is expected to be around 92 in Raleigh and skies should be partly sunny. Durham and Chapel Hill will top out around 90 degrees.
Forecasters say high humidity is likely to make it feel even warmer; heat indices on Friday could be in the mid-90s to 100 degrees.
What’s the weekend weather forecast?
▪ Saturday’s high should be around 91, the Weather Service says, under mostly sunny skies, there is a chance of showers in the afternoon.
▪ Sunday is expected to be mostly sunny with a high of 87 degrees.
The average high temperature for Raleigh in mid-May is about 78 degrees.
How much rain have we had this week?
As of Tuesday afternoon, May 13, the U.S. Geological Survey reports that many areas in Wake County have received more than an inch of rain in the past two days.
A reporting site at B. Everett Jordan Dam on Jordan Lake has received 3.84 inches in the past two days, the USGS says.
Chapel Hill has received more than 2 inches and sites around Durham have seen up to 1.8 inches.
A site in Glade Creek, on the Virginia border in Alleghany County, has received more than 6.2 inches of rain the past two days. Boone has seen more than 3.5 inches and more than 2 inches was reported in Hendersonville.
That’s some of the heaviest rain the mountains have seen since the remnants of Hurricane Helene came through in September 2024.
This story was originally published May 13, 2025 at 5:23 PM.
