WE ARE TRACKING A PLEASANT MID-WEEK COOL DOWN

WARMING UP THROUGH LATE WEEK

HEAT INDEX EXCEEDING 100 THROUGH THE WEEKEND

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS RETURN AS WELL

Forecast:

Tonight: Mostly clear, calm and continued comfy. Lows: 60-66 inland, 70-74 beaches. Wind: Calm

Thursday: Mostly sunny with scattered high clouds early. A tad warmer and more humid. Highs: 86-90 inland, 8286 beaches. Wind: South-southeast 5-10 mph

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, warmer and

Marine Forecast: Seas will be 2' - 4' and water temperatures are in the low 80s at the Crystal Coast and on the Outer Banks. The Rivers and Sounds are in the low 80s and will have a light chop Thursday. Wind will be from the east-southeast 5-10 knots at the Crystal Coast and on the Outer Banks. Low tide is at 7:08am and high tide is at 1:33pm.

Weather Summary:

We are tracking a pleasant cool-down and less humidity in the StormTrack 12 weather center. Conditions remain fairly clear and calm as high pressure at the surface continues to nudge over ENC. Storms and showers well to our north in the Mid-Atlantic will bring a few scattered high clouds by sunrise. Another cooler and pleasant night is in store for us with lows in the mid to upper 60s inland and low 70s at the beaches.

Thursday, sunshine will continue with a bit warmer temperatures as winds begin to turn more east-southeasterly and as high pressure over New England retreats northeast. Heat and humidity won't be unbearable however with temperatures remaining seasonable in the upper 80s to low 90s.

A warm front will slide through the Mid-Atlantic Thursday night as a low pushes east of the Great Lakes. Southwesterly winds will settle in to end the week ushering in much warmer and humid air in to ENC. Lows will be a bit warmer in the upper 60s and low 70s.

We remain mostly sunny with clouds gradually thickening from the top down through the evening Friday. With the increased in humidity a few stray sea breeze showers in the PM are possible. Highs will be in very hot in the mid 90s inland and upper 80s at the beaches.

An upper-level trough will slide south over the northeast US through the weekend. We remain very hot and humid ahead of a slow moving cold front that will push in to and stall along ENC. You can expect mostly cloudy skies and a increasing afternoon and evening thundershowers on Saturday.

With the front becoming stalled and draped along ENC on Sunday, lingering scattered showers and storms are possible to end the weekend. Temperatures will be slightly cooler but still very warm and humid until the front pushes east.

The front will be tough to exit ENC to start early next week. Clouds and lingering showers are again possible Monday and Tuesday, with warm and seasonable temperatures. A lot of uncertainty exists however with Tropical Storm Franklin, currently in the Caribbean.

Franklin is forecast to bring no direct impacts to ENC or make landfall anywhere in the eastern US, but may bring a stiff north-northeasterly breeze which would provide some rough surf. Additionally, depending on how Franklin develops, we may also have cooler temperatures to start the next week due to northeasterly flow as well. Details will certainly be hashed out over the coming days.

Highs will be in the low to mid 90s Friday through Sunday and mid to upper 80s Monday and Tuesday. Lows will be in the low to mid 70s Thursday night through Monday night.

You can always get the latest forecast and weather information on NewsChannel 12, wcti12.com, the StormTrack 12 weather app and our social media on Facebook and Twitter.

Our normal high 88, low 70.

Tropical Forecast: Tropical Storm Franklin is located over Hispaniola. It has wind speeds of 40 mph and is moving north at 13 mph. Franklin is forecasted to weaken slightly as it moved through the western Dominican Republic. After it crosses the island it will push north-northeast into the western Atlantic and remain or return to tropical storm status. The storm will then go to a point and the be blocked as the Azores high pressure pushes westward. The storms will intensify into a hurricane and begin to track towards the northwest. We will need to keep an eye on this storm as it will likely pass between Hatteras and Bermuda early next week.

An area of low pressure located several hundred miles east-north of the northern Leeward Islands is the remnant low of Emily. Conditions are conducive for this to regenerate into a tropical depression or tropical storm late this weekend. Chances are at 50% over the next two days and chances of formation over the next seven days is at 70%.

Showers and thunderstorms with a tropical wave several hundred miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands is showing signs of organization. Gradual development is possible over the next week. Chances remain low at 10% over the next two days and chances of formation over the next seven days is at 30%.

There are no other areas in the Atlantic Basin where tropical cyclone development is expected over the next seven days. We are tracking the tropics to keep you alert to the severe weather danger.