Potential for rainy week in forecast

The Cape Fear region will see unsettled weather this week, with an occasional storm and the potential for soaking rain.

After last weekend's near-perfect conditions, Fayetteville will be a bit warmer and considerably wetter all this week. In fact, Thursday looks like the only day we can expect dry conditions.

The culprit is a broad low pressure system bringing moisture, then rain, to the region. Given the high PWAT (potential rainfall) levels and enough energy to spark showers, it seems likely Fayetteville could see afternoon and evening rainfall.

Here’s the setup

The high pressure system that gave the Carolinas a beautiful Mother's Day weekend is moving out. As it leaves, a broad low-pressure system will move in. This system has roots in the Gulf of Mexico and will send a surge of moisture into the Carolinas.

By daybreak Tuesday, light rain should fall over most of the Cape Fear region.

Rain will continue on and off through the day, with an occasional rumble of thunder to the south. The Storm Prediction Center has a meager chance of severe weather, mainly strong winds for the southern and western regions. Highs will likely stay in the low to mid-70s, dropping into the mid-60s overnight.

The main low pressure center will move out on Wednesday, reducing the chances of widespread rainfall. However, a series of weaker energy packets will slide across the Carolinas through the day, each tapping into the moist air to produce local showers. Highs will depend on cloud cover, but look for a temperature of about 80 for Fayetteville.

Thursday will offer a respite, with dry weather and highs in the low 80s across the region and lows in the mid-60s. After that, another cold front will be approaching, likely triggering more showers on Friday.

The weekend

Conditions on Saturday depend on how quickly the approaching front moves through. For now, look for scattered showers and some thunder on Saturday with a high of about 82 in Fayetteville.

Assuming the system moves out, Sunday should be dry, except, perhaps, for some light lingering showers. Highs in the low 80s are likely, and the region looks dry heading into the next work week.

Keep an umbrella handy, especially on Tuesday, and have a great week!

Got a weather question? Chick Jacobs can be reached at ncweatherhound@gmail.com or NCWeatherhound at X/Twitter.