String of WRAL weather alert days issued for storm, flood risk

Tuesday will be a hotter day with storms mainly north of Interstate 40 on our fifth-straight WRAL Weather Alert Day.

"Storms today appear to be fewer than Monday," WRAL meteorologist Chris Michaels said. "Most Tuesday storms will be near the Virginia state border."

Just like we've seen in recent days, some storms could bring us localized tree damage and brief flooding problems. Strong winds are also a possibility.

Get the latest forecast on WRAL News+ and download the WRAL Weather app to get notifications. 

• Tuesday (WRAL Weather Alert Day): Hotter with more hit-and-miss afternoon storms. Highs in the mid-90s.
• Wednesday (WRAL Weather Alert Day): Hot with storms increasing by the evening. Highs near 90 degrees.
• Thursday (WRAL Weather Alert Day): Periods of rain and storms. Not as hot. Highs in the lower 80s.

Tuesday could bring a few strong to severe storms, especially from the Triangle northward. This will trigger our fifth-straight WRAL Weather Alert Day, however, it won't be as productive as it was on Monday.

"There's not going to be very  many storms," said WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell.

Prior to storms Tuesday, highs reach about 90 to 95 for most of the area, and the heat index climbs to 100 to 105.

A little dry time will do that for you.

The storms will be more widespread Wednesday. We could have some storms in northern counties in the morning.

Then another round of scattered storms is likely later in the afternoon and evening. We have a level 2 severe risk from the Triangle and points north Wednesday.

We have a medium flood risk for everyone.

Most of these roll through during the evening and night. 

Additional showers will be possible on Thursday, which is another WRAL Weather Alert Day largely due to a flood risk.

"We aren't in a severe risk, but we do have a medium flood risk," said WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth.

We'll have more widespread rain on Thursday, which means we'll have a low to medium risk for flooding that day. Concertgoers should keep an eye on that with the Guns N' Roses show scheduled for Thursday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.

For Friday, it's also looking like a good chance for rain. 

Projected rain totals show the potential for a few inches of rain, especially along and east of I-95.

Keep in mind, however, that models can underestimate the amount of rain that falls during the stormy season, so some locations will exceed that.

As of the 2 a.m. Tuesday update from the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Bertha Two is moving slowly to the west and strengthening a bit. It's likely to make landfall in Louisiana Wednesday before gliding along the Gulf Coast into the weekend.

Parts of the Triangle and eastern North Carolina have received some needed rain which has helped to ease the drought.

New drought data released on Thursday, July 16, shows the state's exceptional drought is down from 6% to 5%, and the extreme drought is down from 50% to 39%.

Still, WRAL meteorologists have said it could take a tropical system to get rid of our drought status, and most municipalities are asking residents to limit water consumption.

It would take more than 15 inches of rain to catch up on the deficit, and much of central North Carolina is likely to remain in a drought through September.

• Tuesday: Scattered storms with highs in the low to mid 90s.
• Wednesday: Scattered storms with highs near 90.
• Thursday: Lingering showers/storms. Not as hot. Highs in the lower 80s.
• Friday: Partly cloudy with a rain chance. Highs in the lower 80s.
• Saturday: Partly cloudy and warm. Highs in the upper 80s.
• Sunday: Partly cloudy and warm. Highs in the upper 80s.
• Monday: Mostly sunny skies and hotter. Highs in the upper 80s-lower 90s.

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