Triad -- It has been extremely hot for 11 days now. The good news is we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel... or at least the cooler air behind the front.
A cold front is making progress down through Virginia and West Virginia. It is currently producing strong to severe thunderstorms in that area. A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for the northern part of Virginia and the southern part of West Virginia until 10 PM. The same system is headed our way.
We could see a few thunderstorms in the Piedmont late tonight out ahead of the front. Our better rain chance comes in on Monday. As the front pushes south, we will still have one more hot day on Monday. Highs will make it to the low 90s. In the afternoon, the front will pull through. That will take our rain chance up to 70%-- mainly the second half of the day. The biggest threat will be gusty winds and possible hail.
The best news is that there is cooler air behind the front. Highs will fall from our recent upper 90s and low 100s to the mid 80s. The front will stall across North Carolina and keep us unsettled most of the coming week. Each day will bring a decent chance of thunderstorms. Between the front and a large amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, some models are suggesting we could pick up a few inches of rain before the week is over.