Cloudy, cool Sunday will be ideal for enjoying time outdoors

Our severe weather threat is moving out, and we'll be in for a cloudy day on Sunday.

Posted 9:00 a.m. Apr 1 — Updated 11:02 a.m. Today

WRAL Severe Weather Center

RALEIGH, N.C. — The severe weather has moved out, and after a damp early morning, Sunday should clear up into a cloudy, cool and comfortable afternoon -- ideal for enjoying outdoor festivals around the Triangle.

After a muggy and wet weekend, it should turn less humid and morning lows will fall into the 50s for Monday and Tuesday.

Hour-by-hour forecast for Sunday, May 19.

Sunday: Cloudy, high of 74.
Monday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine in the morning with more clouds for later in the day. High 77.
Tuesday: Partly Cloudy. 20% chance of precipitation. Highs in the low 80s.

The rain won't be gone for long, as scattered showers and storms could return by Friday evening for Memorial Day weekend travel.

A look ahead at Memorial Day weekend shows warmer-than-normal and wetter-than-normal weather returning. By Thursday we'll be in the 90s.

7-day forecast for central NC

Sunday: Cloudy, high of 74.
Monday: Partly Cloudy. Highs in the mid 70s.
Tuesday: Partly Cloudy. 20% chance of precipitation. Highs in the low 80s.
Wednesday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine. Highs in the mid 80s.
Thursday: Mostly sunny skies. Highs between the high 80s and low 90s.
Friday: Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. High around 86.
Saturday: 40% chance for rain and storms. High of 83.

Prepare for a busy 2024 Atlantic hurricane season

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season will see 15 to 20 named storms in the Atlantic basin, according to researchers at North Carolina State University.

The number of named storms is significantly higher than the long-term average and moderately higher than recent 30-year averages, according to Lian Xie, professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences at N.C. State.

In 2024, N.C. State researchers predict:

15-20 named storms
10 to 12 may grow strong enough to become hurricanes (the historical average is six)
Three to four becoming major hurricanes

NC State researchers predict active Atlantic hurricane season with 15-20 named storms

Meanwhile, forecasters at Colorado State University are calling for 24 named storms in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. That is higher than the average year, when 14 storms earn a name.

CSU forecasters say 11 storms will reach hurricane strength, up from the average of seven, and five of those hurricanes could be "major," that is Category 3, 4 or 5, with winds over 111 mph.

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