Hot with stray storms Monday; WRAL Weather Alert Day issued for Tuesday severe threat

Some of us have gotten a wake-up call Sunday night into early Monday morning, thanks to scattered storms. 

Much of Monday is hotter with only a few stray downpours east of the Triangle.

The downpours and steady rain over the last two days have put a dent in the drought, but have not been enough to ease our long-term dry conditions. 

• Monday: Some brief showers/storms early, then partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 80s.
• Tuesday (WRAL Weather Alert Day): Highs in the low-mid 90s. Storms later in the day with a severe threat.
• Wednesday: Clearing and seasonable. Highs in the upper 80s.

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Our next weather maker is a front that taps into our heat and high humidity Tuesday. There will likely be a extra cloud cover and a few isolated showers before midday Tuesday. 

The chance for strong-to-severe storms, however, goes up after 5 or 6 p.m., and it comes in from Virginia.

The Level 2 risk out of 5 for severe storms has prompted a WRAL Weather Alert Day for Tuesday evening.

Main threats with any severe storms include damaging wind gusts and hail. An isolated tornado is possible east of the Triangle.

We’ll then be drier for much of Wednesday, with temperatures seasonable at around 90°. We’ll keep similar temperatures through next weekend, and rain chances stay slim until the end of next weekend.

By then, the front that passed Wednesday and stalled to our south will move north again, and we’ll see better chances for showers and storms.

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

Another week of decent precipitation has helped further ease the drought across North Carolina, eliminating the exceptional drought conditions in our part of the state.

New drought data released on Thursday, July 23, shows the state's exceptional drought is down from 5% to 2%, and the extreme drought is down from 39% to 28%.

Wake County also improved from being in extreme drought to down to severe drought, minus a tiny portion in the north. 

Another positive development is that this most recent map does not include the heavy precipitation that began Wednesday and will continue through Friday, meaning next week's report should show additional progress.

Still, moderate to severe drought conditions remain in the state, and WRAL meteorologists have said it could take a tropical system to get rid of our drought status. Most municipalities are still asking residents to limit water consumption.

• Monday: Partly cloudy with highs in the upper 80s.
• Tuesday: Building clouds with late-day storms. Some may be severe. Highs in the low-to-mid 90s.
• Wednesday: It's a seasonable summer day with the hot and humid weather sticking around. Highs in the upper 80s.
• Thursday: It's a seasonable day today with highs in the upper 80s. Skies will be mostly sunny to partly cloudy with minimal storm chances.
• Friday: It's a pleasant end to the week. Highs climb into the upper 80s to lower 90s under mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies.
• Saturday: A few showers are possible, but better chances arrive Sunday. Highs at around 90°
• Sunday: Scattered showers and some storms. Highs in the middle 80s.