Two Rounds of Rain This Weekend; Thunderstorms Possible

It's not too often that you hear us talk about thunderstorms in January in North Carolina, but a few thunderstorms are possible this Friday evening and another round of rain possibly with a few thunderstorms is expected late Sunday.

Let's start with the first round of rain. A few spotty showers are around the region this Friday afternoon, but we're watching an area of more widespread rain and thunderstorms that is moving our way for this evening.

Strong thunderstorms moved through the Atlanta area just before midday Friday. There were tornado warnings in effect around Atlanta during the late morning, but there have been no comfirmed reports of a tornado touch down at this point. There have been some reports of wind damage.

That same batch of rain and storms will move into North Carolina later today and could approach the Triad, Triangle, and Sandhills by around 8pm. We'll be watching radar closely to see if these storms hold their strength.

The Storms Prediction Center has placed eastern North Carolina under a "slight risk" for severe weather Friday evening because a few of the storms could prodcue gusty winds. We'll keep you updated to any watches or warnings that may be issued. Just stay tuned to News 14 Carolina.

This first round of rain should exit our area by early Saturday. That will give way to a beautiful day. How does partly cloudy skies and highs in the low 70s sound for the first weekend in January?

The break from the rain chances won't last too long. During the weekend, an area of low pressure will form along the Gulf coast and track our way. That brings rain back to the forecast Sunday afternoon, and again a few thunderstorms could be possible. In fact, as of Friday, the Storms Prediction Center has eastern North Carolina under a "slight risk" for severe weather Sunday --

There are still a couple of days to fine tune the chances for thunderstorms for late in the weekend. For the latest outlook for the weekend, tune in to News 14 Carolina on the ones.

By the way, you may have heard the old weather saying about lightning in the winter means snow is only 10 days away. Of course, that's just an old saying with no scientific backing. We'll see what the next week and half as in store for us, but there certainly is no snow in the forecast over the next 5 to 7 days.

Have a great weekend!