A well developed storm system, part of which produced blizzard conditions in Colorado, is making its move across the southeast. Doppler radar from midday showed widespread rain across the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama. 
This will keep rain around central North Carolina tonight. In fact, the rain may pick up through the evening as the area of low pressure tracks closer to the state.
Most computer models agree that between one and two inches of rain are likely for our region from this storm. Some spots from the Triad to the west may see as much as three inches.
You can see the latest radar images by tuning into Weather on the Ones every 10 minutes on News 14 Carolina.
While we are starting the weekend on the soggy side, most of the weekend should be pleasant. The rain will finally come to an end early Saturday morning. With clearing through the day Saturday, we'll see a lot of sun in the afternoon.
and another from Colorado Springs ...
As of midday Thursday, the Denver airport had recorded about 4 inches of snow, but some spots in Colorado have reported well over a foot.
As the storm moves east late this afternoon, stormy weather is possible over the south central U.S. The Storms Prediction Center is watching an area from east Texas to Oklahoma to Louisiana for the possibility of severe storms today --
The storm system will continue to track to the east into the day Friday bringing us more clouds tonight and eventually a few showers in the morning. While we don't expect severe weather in our viewing area at this time, the rain could really pick up Friday afternoon and Friday night.
How much rain could we pick up from this storm? Many of us will likely see between one and two inches of rain. However, some spots especially around the Triad may see closer to three inches!
The bright spot in the forecast will come by midday Saturday through Sunday. The rain may continue into early Saturday morning, but it will move to our east bringing more sunshine our way by Saturday afternoon.
No doubt, many heaters across central North Caroline have gotten their first work out of the season the past couple of mornings. Many locations got at least close to the freezing mark this morning. A few early morning clouds prevented some spots from getting all the way to freezing. Here's a look at lows from around the region this Wednesday: While we were certainly cold this morning, it wasn't record cold. The records for this date are 27 for Raleigh and 28 for Greensboro, both set in 1962.
One other cold weather fact to note -- the earliest snowfall for Raleigh occurred on yesterday's date in 1887, 1903, and 1910. A trace of snow was reported each of those years.
Snow is not in our forecast anytime soon. However, Friday will likely be a cool and rainy day for the region. Stay tuned to Weather on the Ones for the latest!
It was a dreary Sunday for the last day of the North Carolina State Fair, and it wasn't much different across most of central North Carolina. Light showers moved through during the day, but rain totals did not add up to much in most locations. The heaviest rains fell across the Sandhills.The rain is moving out of the state this Sunday evening, we can look for clearing skies overnight. That will allow for a brighter start to the new week, but it will be cool for much of the week ahead. Highs will struggle to reach 60 on Monday, and we will likely stay in the mid 50s in most spots Tuesday.
The really cold temperatures will come during the early morning when lows will drop to the 30s for Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Patchy frost will be possible from the Triangle to the Triad both mornings.
Stay tuned to News 14 Carolina for your latest weather updates this week. We'll be along every 10 minutes with your Weather on the Ones forecast.
While there's nothing like seeing the splendid colors in person, if you're like me and can't make the trip to the mountains this year, you can see live views of the fall colors from your computer desktop. Check out www.highcountrywebcams.com for live views from around western North Carolina.
Thousands and thousands of folks have visited west Raleigh for the North Carolina State Fair this year. If you haven't been one of the thousands, there's still time to ride the rides and check out some of those deep fried goodies like fried Coca-Cola. While I tried to stay away from the deep fried foods this year, I have to recommend one of my favorite fair treats and that's the ice cream from North Carolina State's food science club. Even though it will be somewhat cool especially during the evenings, it won't be too cold to try out this treat!
We'll see dry weather for the rest of this afternoon and for Thursday, but the rain may soon return. A cold front will cross the state Friday and that will likely bring a few showers and possibly a thunderstorm our way during the first half of the day Friday.
Above is a weather map forecasting how this air mass will move within the next day and a half. Pay close attention to the red line with half-circles near the Gulf Coast. This is what is known as a warm front on all weather maps. This notation helps us determine where the warmer air is sitting. Keep in mind, the half-circles are in the direction that the warmer air is heading.
Along with a warm front comes the chance for some good soaking rains. This is certainly going to be the case with this system. By the time we see the sunshine on Wednesday rainfall totals could exceed an inch in many spots through Central and Eastern North Carolina and the Western part of our state may see closer to 2 inches of total rain.
The big news from Sunday was a 6.6 magnitude earthquake reported just off the "Big Island" of Hawaii. Several aftershocks were felt after the initial quake. The above map from the U.S. Geological Survey shows the quakes measured Sunday around Hawaii.With news of the Hawaii earthquake, some may wonder about the possibility of an earthquake in North Carolina. While they are rare here, earthquakes can happen in our state. According to information from the USGS website, the strongest quake recorded in North Carolina took place near Waynesville on February 21, 1916. It was a magnitude 5.2 earthquake. There were reports of chimneys toppled and broken windows from the 1916 earthquake.
For more information on North Carolina earthquakes, check out these links --
See you at the fair!
The State Fair starts Friday! When you visit the fair this year, be sure to stop by the Time Warner Cable tent. You may just run into someone you know from News 14 Carolina.
Earlier in the week, it appeared Friday would be somewhat of a quiet day in the Weather on the Ones Forecast Center. We would watch showers move through the area along with falling temperatures. However, explosions and a chemical fire at a facility in Apex changed that.Through the early morning hours, our main focus attention became wind direction and speed along with the rain moving into the area. Would the rain help put out the fire or could it combine with the chemicals to create even more problems?
Through the day, we have been in close contact with the North Carolina Division of Air Quality and other emergency management officials. Air quality experts tell us that the rain seems to have helped in the situation. The rain diluted any chemicals that may have been emitted into the atmosphere. It also "washed away" particulate matter that could have been released by the explosions and fire.
Our news team continues to follow the latest developments from Apex. Stay with News 14 Carolina for the latest updates.
The next several afternoons may be even warmer than Sunday. Highs could climb as warm as the mid to upper 80s in the Triad and Triangle by Wednesday. Some locations in the Sandhills may even get close to 90.
Here are a few interesting stats to keep in mind through mid week.
Raleigh-Durham Airport
Monday --
Tuesday --
Wednesday --
Piedmont Triad Airport (Greensboro)
Monday --
Tuesday --
Wednesday --
A cold front should move across the state Thursday, bringing afternoon temperatures back to the 70s by the end of the week. Stay tuned to Weather on the Ones from News 14 Carolina for updates to the forecast.
