Double rain systems target Charlotte this week

Rain will hit the Charlotte, North Carolina, area twice this week. A band of showers and thunderstorms will arrive Wednesday night and again late Thursday night, interrupting a mostly sunny stretch from Tuesday through Friday afternoon.

Election Day began with a mix of clouds and sunshine. Afternoon highs reached the middle 70s Fahrenheit. The day stayed dry. Overnight lows dropped into the 50s. Wednesday brought more clouds, with possible afternoon showers in the mountains. The Piedmont region remained dry during daylight hours, with temperatures climbing to the mid to upper 70s.

A front moving from the west triggered the first major rain event. Showers and heavier thunderstorms moved into Charlotte from Wednesday night into Thursday morning. After the rain cleared early Thursday, skies turned partly sunny. Temperatures rebounded to the middle 70s. A second system brought likely rain and thunderstorms late Thursday night. This wet weather lingered through midday Friday.

The clearing trend began Friday evening. Sunshine returned for the weekend. Friday highs stayed in the middle 70s. Saturday temperatures fell to the lower 70s. Sunday highs dropped to the upper 60s. These weekend temperatures represent a return to more seasonal levels after the warm midweek period.

WBTV issued First Alerts for the two rain events. The first alert covered Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The second alert covered Thursday night and Friday. The forecast indicates the region will experience two separate wet periods before the weekend clears up completely.