Hurricane Erin now a category 4 storm, mainly dry & steamy in the Triad this weekend Erin rapidly intensifying, drier weather in North Carolina

WINSTON-SALEM THIS WEEKEND. DAY ONE OF THE WINSTON-SALEM OPEN STARTS TODAY. QUALIFYING AT 11 A.M. AND IT SHOULD LAST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. I DON’T THINK YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANY RAIN THERE AT THE WAKE FOREST TENNIS COMPLEX, BUT IT WILL BE HOT AND HUMID WITH SOME BRIGHT SUNSHINE AT TIMES, SO BE SURE TO WEAR SOME SUNSCREEN. HAVE THE SUNGLASSES, DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. MAYBE HAVE ONE OF THOSE WIDE BRIMMED HATS TO TO TO KEEP SOME OF THAT SUN OFF YOU. THAT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA. ALREADY A BRIGHT AND SUNNY START OVER THE TRIAD. A BEAUTIFUL SHOT THERE FROM WINSTON-SALEM. TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE UPPER 60S LOW 70S THIS MORNING. VERY HUMID OUT THERE. VISIBILITY FOR MOST OF THE TRIAD. GOOD AT THIS TIME, BUT WE ARE STARTING TO SEE SOME PATCHY DENSE FOG DEVELOP. GREENSBORO MAY BE WITH A LITTLE BIT OF THAT NOW IN PARTS OF GUILFORD COUNTY AND ESPECIALLY, OF COURSE, FOR FOLKS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. SO ESPECIALLY OUR WESTERN COUNTIES. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR SOME PATCHY DENSE FOG THIS MORNING. IF YOU HAVE EARLY SATURDAY PLANS, WE’VE GOT A FEW CLOUDS STREAMING OVERHEAD. THEY SHOULD BE AROUND THIS MORNING, BUT THE REST OF US DRY. HIGH PRESSURE STARTING TO KIND OF BUILD OVERHEAD AND IT WILL BE IN CONTROL THIS WEEKEND. THERE IS A STALLED FRONT OFF THE COAST AND A LITTLE SWIRL OF LOW PRESSURE, WITH SOME SHOWERS AND STORMS THAT WILL KEEP OUR EYE ON. BUT FOR NOW, HERE IMMEDIATELY IN THE PIEDMONT, HIGH PRESSURE IS IN CONTROL AND WE SHOULD HAVE A MAINLY DRY WEEKEND. RAIN CHANCES HAVE DROPPED OFF A BIT. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 80S RIGHT AROUND AVERAGE THIS AFTERNOON. NICE AND STEAMY. A MIX OF SUN AND CLOUDS. MAYBE ABOUT A 20 OR 30% CHANCE OF A POP UP SHOWER OR STORM. SOME FOG POSSIBLE IN OUR WESTERN COUNTIES THIS MORNING. FOOTHILLS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 80S THIS AFTERNOON TO THE MOUNTAINS. SHOULD EVEN MAKE IT TO NEAR 80 DEGREES LATER TODAY WITH A COUPLE DOWNPOURS POSSIBLE. MAYBE A RUMBLE OF THUNDER, BUT OVERALL, I’M NOT IMPRESSED WITH OUR COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS THIS WEEKEND. THIS AFTERNOON AT ABOUT 3:00. HERE’S WHAT THE RADAR MIGHT LOOK LIKE. YOU SEE, ODDS ARE YOU STAY DRY TODAY. ONLY A COUPLE OF SMALL POP-UP SHOWERS OR STORMS SUNDAY MORNING. WE SHOULD START OFF DRY. SUNDAY AFTERNOON GETS A LITTLE HOTTER. HIGHS WILL BE NEAR 90 TOMORROW. FOR THE SECOND HALF OF OUR WEEKEND. ANOTHER SMALL CHANCE OF AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR STORM. MAYBE THE BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR A LITTLE BIT OF RAIN THIS WEEKEND WOULD BE IN OUR WESTERN COUNTIES. SATURDAY AFTERNOON, BUT AGAIN, RAIN CHANCES ARE PRETTY SPOTTY. ONLY ABOUT 20 OR 30% MORNINGS IN THE 60S LOW 70S AFTERNOONS IN THE UPPER 80S TO NEAR 90. SO IT’S A GOOD OLD FASHIONED STEAMY SUMMER WEEKEND WITH SOME LOWER RAIN CHANCES. NOW, AN UPDATE ON THE TROPICS. HURRICANE ERIN RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING THIS MORNING. NOW A CATEGORY FOUR MAJOR HURRICANE WITH 130 MILE PER HOUR WINDS JUST NORTH OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. THERE’S PUERTO RICO, SO YOU SEE, NOT TOO FAR OFF. THE WORST OF THE WEATHER IS JUST OFFSHORE AND A FAIRLY SMALL STORM. BUT MAN, IT IS POWERFUL. HEADED OFF TO THE WEST AND NORTHWEST. IT MAY EVEN MAKE A RUN AT CATEGORY FIVE STRENGTH THIS WEEKEND. MAYBE SOMETIME TOMORROW. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED. WINDS MAYBE AT 150 OR 155MPH. IT WILL GET BIGGER AND WEAKEN SLIGHTLY AS IT TURNS NORTHWARD BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK, MAYBE PASSING OFF THE COAST AS A CATEGORY 2 OR 3. BUT MODELS ARE PRETTY PERSISTENT. NOW THAT THIS WILL PASS OFFSHORE. DIRECT IMPACTS NOT EXPECTED, BUT SOME ROUGH SURF AND RIP CURRENTS, OF COURSE, LIKELY AT THE COAST, MAYBE SOME OVERWASH ISSUES FOR HIGHWAY 12 AT THE OUTER BANKS. WE WILL WANT TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THIS, BUT DIRECT IMPACTS FROM ERIN. UNLIKELY, MAINLY DRY AND STEAMY THIS WEEKEND. FEW SHOWERS AND STORM