Winston-Salem, North Carolina 7 Day Weather Forecast

Wx Forecast - Wx Discussion - Wx Aviation

984
FXUS62 KRAH 061718
AFDRAH

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Raleigh NC
115 PM EDT Sat Jun 6 2026

.WHAT HAS CHANGED...

* Backdoor front appears to be trending slower to move through Mon.

* Confidence continues to increase that dangerous heat will return
  mid-late week.

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...
As of 115 PM Saturday...

1) Continued hot through Mon. A brief reprieve Tue-Wed, but then
another heat wave is increasingly favored late next week.

2) Diurnally driven convection possible each day through next week,
but overall coverage remains quite limited.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
As of 115 PM Saturday...

KEY MESSAGE 1... Continued hot through Mon. A brief reprieve Tue-
Wed, but then another heat wave is increasingly favored late next
week.

The overall pattern is more or less unchanged through Monday as
anomalously hot weather continues across the region. The low-level
airmass hovers in the 1425-1430m range with respect to low-level
thicknesses, well supportive of mid to upper 90s. The one exception
may be over the western Piedmont, where highs largely top out in the
lower 90s.

A backdoor front moves through sometime Monday. We mention Monday
vaguely as it appears guidance has been trending a touch slower with
its passage, perhaps sliding south during the day. As a result,
highs should still hover in the low to middle 90s in most locations,
with even a few upper 90s in the Triangle. Sunday still looks to be
the warmest day of the next few days, getting close to the record
high for RDU of 100 (see climate section).

A brief reprieve is expected in the heat Tue-Wed behind the backdoor
front and as somewhat cool high pressure extends down from Delmarva.
But this high quickly builds offshore midweek, resulting in well
above normal temperatures to return late next week and the upcoming
weekend.

The stretch from Thursday through Saturday is becoming increasingly
favored for dangerous heat. Not only will the airmass be similar to
this weekend, but dewpoints will also increase well into the 60s,
increasing heat stress and heat-related illnesses. The HeatRisk
category reaches a category 3 and 4 out of 4 Thu through Sat. This
is in the major to extreme category, affecting anyone without
cooling/hydration, as well as health systems, industries, and
infrastructure. Additionally, the NBM probability of meeting or
exceeding 100F is 40-60 percent during this stretch, particularly
Fri-Sat over the Triangle, Sandhills, and Coastal Plain.


KEY MESSAGE 2... Diurnally driven convection possible each day
through next week, but overall coverage remains quite limited.

Storm chances continue to trend lower for Sun ahead of a backdoor
front that is expected to move through sometime Monday. Most CAM
solutions indicate that as convection develops in east-central and
southeast VA during the afternoon and evening, storms weaken with
southward extent across the far northeast Piedmont and northern
Coastal Plain of central NC. We still think a 20-percent chance is
warranted in our northeast. SPC maintained a marginal risk of severe
in SE VA within 2000 J/kg of MUCAPE and 30 kts of deep-layer shear.
However, most of that instability wanes over NC, keeping our severe
threat low.

The backdoor front appears to be trending slower to move through,
perhaps during the day Monday. As a result, a differential heating
boundary may set up from NE to SW, with the best chance of afternoon
isolated to scattered storms along/south of the Triangle and south
of US-64. We still feel coverage will be limited and diurnally
driven. Instability will be favorable, but shear is weak such that
any severe threat would only be confined to a few stronger pulse-
type storms.

Overall, the coverage of storms Tuesday onward appears low, largely
focused over western NC and the far western Piedmont along the
western periphery of the ridge. Several ensemble solutions do
indicate an uptick in diurnally driven storm chances toward the
latter part of next week and weekend, perhaps in response to a
frontal system, but that is largely uncertain at this point.
Increasing low-level moisture and dewpoints may also be a
contributing factor. Regardless, coverage of storms still appears
limited at this stage.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
As of 115 PM Saturday...

Favorable VFR conditions will persist across central NC terminals as
high pressure remains over the Southeast coast. Expect only periods
of high thin clouds and a few flat, daytime cumulus, with no
visibility restrictions. Surface winds will stay out of the SSW to
SW at 812 kts during the day, dropping to 8 kts or less tonight.
However, expect occasional gusts of 1825 kts across the Piedmont,
Sandhills, and Coastal Plain during the daytime hours.

Looking beyond 12z Sun, VFR conditions are likely to hold through at
least Sun, as the high pressure sitting over the region shifts
slowly E and offshore. A backdoor cold front settling into the area
from the north will bring a few showers and storms Sunday evening
and night across the N and E. Sub-VFR clouds are possible starting
late Mon and persisting through Wed, but confidence in the details
is low.

&&

.CLIMATE...

Record High Temperatures:

June 6:
KGSO: 96/2008
KRDU: 99/2008
KFAY: 99/1943

June 7:
KGSO: 98/1925
KRDU: 100/2008
KFAY: 99/2008

June 8:
KRDU: 101/2008
KFAY: 101/2008

June 11:
KRDU: 100/1914

June 12:
KRDU: 98/2002
KFAY: 99/1926


Record High Minimum Temperatures:

June 7:
KGSO: 73/2008
KRDU: 74/2008

June 8:
KGSO: 73/2008
KRDU: 75/1899
KFAY: 74/2008

June 9:
KGSO: 72/2020
KRDU: 75/1993
KFAY: 77/2008

June 10:
KRDU: 76/2020
KFAY: 77/2020

June 11:
KGSO: 74/2008
KRDU: 74/2008
KFAY: 77/1981

June 12:
KGSO: 72/1998
KRDU: 75/1986
KFAY: 76/2016

&&

.RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...AK
AVIATION...CA/Hartfield
CLIMATE..RAH