WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner gave us our midday forecast for the Dorothea Dix sunflower plot.
DETECTION IS CRUCIAL TO OBSERVE GROWTH IN FIRE RATES 8, 5,. WE HAVE SOME NEW INFORMATION ON THE WRAL, SEVERE WEATHER CENTER. SO WE WILL LAUNCH IT AT DIX PARK NOW WITH WRAL METEOROLOGIST ELIZABETH GARDNER AND WHO IS AFFECTED NOW WHO HAS CHANGED TO THE SEVERE RISK CATEGORY. ELIZABETH. >> EXACTLY. WE WILL TALK ABOUT IT IN A FEW MINUTES. BUT SOME I SAID TO REST SIT ON WORK FOR A LITTLE WHILE THE ONLY THING THEY DID HERE. THEY’VE HAD THE SUNFLOWERS YOU’VE BEEN AT TEN PARK FOR SO LONG NOW THEY KEEP ADDING SPECIAL THINGS EVERY TIME. AND I LOVE THE SOFA, DON’T I? GREAT IS THE NEED I HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE HERE ENJOYING THE DAY TODAY. I’ll say, I mean, it’s really sticky in here. BUT WITH CLOUD COVER IT IS KEEPING TOLERABLE AND THEY ARE JUST PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. OF COURSE AS I SAID EARLIER THEY PLANTED 200,000 SEEDS THIS YEAR AND OF COURSE THEY HAVE TO HAVE A LOT OF RAIN FOR THAT. AND I WILL TELL YOU WHAT, LAST WEEK WE GOT IT. WE HAVE SOME PARTS OF THE VIEWING AREA THAT HAVE UP TO 5 INCHES OF RAIN. AND IT WAS CERTAINLY USEFUL. LET’S JUMP AND TAKE A LOOK AT OUR DROUGHT WATCH BECAUSE THE WEEK WITH ALL THIS RAIN WE HAVE SEEN BIG IMPROVEMENTS. WE STILL HAVE MODERATE DROUGHT IN SOME PLACES BUT WE WERE ABLE TO RUN THE SEVERE DROUGHT WHICH IS A GREAT THING. LAST WEEK MOST OF THE STATE HAD LEAST ABNORMALLY DRY, MODERATE OR SEVERE DROUGHT. AND SO THINGS HAVE IMPROVED MUCH. WE ARE, OF COURSE, LOOKING FOR MORE CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DURING THIS. WE CAN. >> I HOPE THINGS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE. WE HAVE MODERATE DROUGHT COVERAGE LAST WEEK. THAT’S 53%. THIS WEEK HIS 21% IS SO A BIG IMPROVEMENT FROM WHAT WE HAVE SEEN. WE ARE LOOKING OUR MODERATE DROUGHT VS SEVERE DROUGHT. OF COURSE, ALWAYS 21%. BUT OUR SEVERE SEVERITY IS NOW REDUCED TO 0. SO THE RAIN WE GOT LAST WEEK HAS BEEN A BIG, BIG HELP. WE ARE SEEING CLOUDY SKIES OVER MOST OF THE REGION AT THIS TIME. AND WE WATCH A FEW SHOWERS DROPING TO THE SOUTH. THESE ARE MOSTLY OUTSIDE OF OUR VIEWING AREA AT THIS TIME. BUT THEY ARE ALONG THE BORDER WHICH MAY CONTINUE TO DRIFT NORTH AS WE CONTINUE DURING THE AFTERNOON. AND OF COURSE WE HAVE THIS POTENTIAL FOR SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND OUR SOUTHERN COUNTIES WHICH INCLUDE FAYETTEVILLE, CLINTON AND GOLDSBOROUGH WILL WALK THROUGH FUTURECAST AND YOU CAN WATCH HOW WE SEE THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP ITS JUST RAIN NOW. BUT BETWEEN 3 AM AND 6 AM WE ARE SEEING THESE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING LIKELY TO SEE HEAVY RAIN. SOME FLOWERS HERE AT PARC DIX WILL NOT BE LIKELY TO GET RAIN BUT EVERYTHING SOUTH AND EAST HAS THAT POTENTIAL. THEN TOMORROW OUR LIMIT WILL DRIFT FURTHER NORTH. AND THAT MEANS WE WILL HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGHOUT THE OBSERVATION AREA. SO THERE IS NOON AT 5:30 AM, A FEW SCATTER THUNDERSTORMS. WE DO NOT HAVE A RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS YET FOR TOMORROW. CERTAINLY POSSIBLE THAT WE WILL ENTER A LEVEL ONE RISK. BUT AT THIS TIME THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS NOT PUT US UNDER THIS. IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR OUT FRIDAY LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING RIGHT NOW, IT LOOKS LIKE THIS STORM IS CLEARING QUITE QUICKLY. WE TAKE A LOOK AT OUR FUTURE RAINFALL POTENTIAL. AND YOU CAN SEE HERE AS WE MOVE IT OVER THE NEXT TWO DAYS, WE CAN SEE UP TO HALF AN INCH, MAYBE EVEN AN INCH IN SOME PLACES. SO WE CAN WE WILL CONTINUE TO ADD TO THE RAIN. IT’S A 30% CHANCE FOR TODAY IN THE TRIANGLE. IT’S A LITTLE HIGHER SOUTH. 40% CHANCE FRIDAY TO 20% CHANCE SATURDAY, SUNDAY AND MONDAY. SO WE’RE KEEPING THIS CHANCE AND WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO DO A LITTLE WATERING. IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO GO SEE THE FIRES THIS WEEKEND. LOOKING AT A FEW ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY WITH A HIGH OF 89 RIGHT NOW. SUNDAY LOOKS DRY WITH A HIGH OF 91 SEEING A LOT OF SUNNY BUT IT WILL BE STEVIE. OUR TEMPERATURES, OF COURSE, WILL BE HOT. A SIDE OF 90 DEGREES AND WILL FINISH STRONG WITH THE POTENTIAL OF SEEING THUNDERSTORMS DAILY. MANY PEOPLE HERE, OF COURSE, ENJOY THE SUN FLOWER TODAY. YOU KNOW, IT’S SUMMER. GET APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS TO GO OUT AND ENJOY. SO I HOPE YOU FIND A GOOD WINDOW WHERE IT’S NOT TOO LATE TODAY. THANK YOU. JUST LOOKS GREAT THERE. ELIZABETH, THANK YOU. GOOD TO KNOW MUCH OF OUR VIEWING AREA HAS BEEN ABANDONED FROM THIS LEVEL. WE RISK THEM EXCEPT
