After only seeing spotty 'personal showers' (as we deemed them last week because they were SO tiny) over the weekend, we started to see better coverage of rain across the area this afternoon.
Last Friday we were looking at an upper-level area of low pressure sitting over Alabama. This was a closed system. Being closed it was rotating in a counter-clockwise fashion and any embedded waves of low pressure within it, were locked in. As of today our low has 'opened up' into a wave or trough in the upper atmosphere. This has enabled deeper moisture to make its way into North Carolina and allows some waves of low pressure embedded with the low to proceed into North Carolina. These waves enhance the lift or rising motion in the atmosphere to aid in developing showers and storms.
The deepest moisture with this system will be upon central North Carolina Tuesday which means a very good likelihood for rain...Hence grab the umbrella before you leave for work Tuesday morning.
This deep moisture will shift offshore Wednesday so the coverage of showers and storms will be less, but we still have a decent shot of rain that day.
A westerly flow resumes in the atmosphere by Thursday and into the weekend, that's why when you see the 5Day forecast, it really heats up by weeks end!
