Little impact from Hurricane Francine expected in North Carolina on Wednesday

PIEDMONT TRIAD, N.C. (WGHP) — Hurricane Francine continues to churn in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico this morning as a category 1 storm.

It is forecast to make landfall tonight along the central coast of Louisiana, possibly strengthening to a category 2 hurricane with 100 mph sustained winds.

In NC today, we are expecting very little impact from Francine except for high, thin clouds that will be pulled across our skies.

Highs will be near 80° this afternoon.  Clouds will increase overnight, and lows will remain cooler than normal, in the upper-50s.

Cloudier skies are expected for Thursday, with highs in the upper-70s.

We may have light showers Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but total rainfall during this time frame is really unimpressive.

For the three-day period, we may log up to 1/3″ in area rain gauges with most locations recording less than 1/10″.  High temperatures are going to stay steady in the mid-to upper-70s.

The new work week has a completely different outlook as a coastal low spins up the Carolina coastlines and tosses a hefty amount of Atlantic moisture into the Piedmont.

The chance of rain on Monday is 60%, and for Tuesday, 70%.

The amount of rain we’re expecting is much more impressive, with 1″ to 2″ possible across the Piedmont.

Along the coast (especially the southern beaches), up to 5″ of rain is possible.  Highs will remain in the mid-70s on both days.

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