Record-challenging heat today, severe weather possible tomorrow

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Today will be great for sunbathers, while tomorrow looks better for our Middle Georgia farmers waiting for rain. So let’s go into both:

Thursday

Today will be almost identical to yesterday. Sunshine, a few clouds, a southwesterly flow that will usher into our area more warm air, and highs not-quite-record-breaking in the upper 80s. The record high in Macon today is 91, which we will be a few degrees shy. As an aside, Atlanta and Athens have broken record highs this week, with two record highs in Atlanta and one in Athens.

Is there a chance for rain today? Sure, but only a slight chance of a pop-up storm. Most of us won’t see a drop until tomorrow.

Friday

This is when the temperatures stop their increase this week and the chance for severe weather returns. A cool front rolls through the area Friday and will bring 1) increased clouds, and 2) rain and storms. Both of these factors will bring temperatures down to the low 80s, with areas receiving heavier rainfall seeing temperatures drop to the 70s. 

On top of that, I’m seeing CAPE (convective available potential energy) ranging from 750 – 1500 joules on the NAM and GFS models. That means there’s plenty of energy tomorrow to spark severe weather, though I’m thinking severe storms will be isolated. The biggest concerns will be hail and frequent lightning.

After Friday, the weather mostly dries out for the weekend, though we are keeping a 20 percent chance for storms both days at the moment. Temperatures drop to the low 80s with overnight lows dropping to the low to mid 50s. It’s still warmer than average, but it’s certainly not the upper 80s we’ve seen recently.