Forecast Last Updated at Friday, September 3, 2010 at 11:13AM

Weak Front; Cooler Weekend

Another beautiful day today; however, a weak front passing through might spark a shower or t-shower favoring the west side of the Appalachians through early evening. The weekend will be much cooler as Earl combined with a trough in the Great Lakes drives much cooler air south. It will be breezy tonight and Saturday. We'll have full sun Saturday through Tuesday with only a few clouds after that. Temperatures will gradually climb next week after our "Fall Preview" weekend.

Calling all photographers! The 2011 RaysWeather.Com Calendar Photo Contest has begun. Submissions will be accepted through September 5. Voting will begin the second week of September.

Friday Hi: 82 Lo: 56 Scattered clouds; Slight chance for a shower or t-shower through early evening; Warm; NW wind 5-15 mph increasing to 10-20 mph tonight & gusty

Saturday Hi: 71 Lo: 46 Deep blue skies with a few clouds; A noticeably cooler fall preview; NW wind 10-20 mph & gusty during the daytime

Sunday Hi: 72 Lo: 48 Bright sunshine; Great day; Cool night; Light winds

Monday Hi: 78 Lo: 55 Sunny Labor Day; Fantastic weather to be outside

Tuesday Hi: 80 Lo: 58 Sunny; Warmer

Further Out

Wednesday - Few clouds; Continued dry, pleasant; High near 80 degrees; Low in the upper 50s
Thursday - Mostly Sunny; Dry; Pleasant; High near 80 degrees; Low in the upper 50s

Forecast Discussion

Hurricane Early passed to the east of Cape Hatteras last night. It is moving NNE and will be off the coast of Cape Cod tonight then run into Nova Scotia tomorrow. A track just off the coast and dry air getting injected into the storm as it moved north made all the difference in the world. The fast movement of this storm will make it a distant memory for NC/VA by tonight.

A weak front will move through the Southern Appalachians late today. We have the slight chance of a shower or thundershower through early this evening favoring the west side of the Appalachians. It will be a non-issue for most of the region. You will notice more of a NW breeze later today and breezy conditions tonight.

Much cooler air will be forced into the Southeast this weekend--a Fall Preview. Expect clear skies, refreshing temperatures, and breezy conditions Saturday. Beyond Saturday, we will have gradually warmer with continued sunny skies--BEAutiful! A weak front may reach us by next Thursday, add a couple clouds; it's probably too weak and too dry to spark a shower.

Elsewhere in the tropical Atlantic... Tropical storm Fiona is headed toward Bermuda today. Gaston was downgraded to just a tropical wave yesterday but could be heard from again. Another tropical wave is just off the African Coast. The U. S. is safe from any tropical threat for several days after Earl.

Announcements

Obviously the vote Tuesday in Watauga County did not go as I would have hoped. But... respecting the process and the opinions of others is what makes our Country great. At least I hope it's still that way.

Fitness and Nutrition Articles

The fitness and nutrition articles previously appearing in this space now appear under the Health and Fitness item in the Outdoor Living Menu above. It's complete with a before and after photo comparison.

Using information from RaysWeather.Com

First, all data and forecasts on RaysWeather.Com are the intellectual property of RaysWeather.com, Inc. Here is our usage policy regarding rebroadcast or redistribution of any information from our site...

"The reader is not permitted to reproduce, retransmit, redistribute any weather data, forecasts, analysis, image, or any other product from this site to any other person or entity, in any format by any means. All information, data, and images contained on any page of this site are copyrighted by RaysWeather.Com, Inc. (unless otherwise noted) and is the property of RaysWeather.Com, Inc. Information, data, and images from this site may not be archived or stored for future use. Exceptions to this condition of use may only be made by express, written permission of RaysWeather.Com." See our Terms and Conditions page.

In short, if you do not have a written agreement with us to do so, you do not have permission to republish any information found on this site. If you work for a media entity (TV, radio, website, newspaper, etc.) and wish to republish information from this site, please contact us at ray@raysweather.com or call our offices at 828.264.2030.