Storms pop up to north, east of Triangle

Sunshine dominated through the day, pushing temperatures to near 90 degrees, and that heat and humidity created the conditions ripe for storms as night falls.

"It's not widespread enough that everybody will get wet," said WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze. "But storms could pop up anytime up until 8 or 9 o'clock."

During the 6 o'clock hour, storms were moving south across the Virginia state line, and parts of Person County were seeing storm activity.

East of the Triangle, Rocky Mount and Tarboro saw heavy rain and cloud-to-ground lightning.

Some storms could become severe, and those carry the threat of damaging wind gusts, frequent lightning strikes and heavy, localized downpours, Maze said. 

Storms will begin to move out of the area by midnight, allowing cool, dry air to filter in ahead of a beautiful weekend.

Out&About: Weekend best bets

"We're looking at an absolutely gorgeous weekend for any outdoor plans," WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. "Lower dew points are going to make it feel more like fall than late August."

Saturday could begin under overcast skies, but clouds will clear by afternoon and the high temperature should reach the mid-80s.

Overnight lows will dip into the low 60s over the weekend. On Monday morning, when traditional-calendar students return to classes across the area, temperatures could be in the mid-50s. 

Daytime highs will remain pleasant Monday and Tuesday before climbing back to the 90-degree mark by the middle of next week.

"It may start to get a little hotter and more humid as we head toward the middle of next week," WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel said, "but we're not going to see a big-time return of heat."