Hazardous Weather Outlook Issued For Western North Carolina

The National Weather Service on Wednesday issued a hazardous weather outlook for western North Carolina, northeast Georgia and upstate South Carolina as scattered thunderstorms began to develop across the region.

The NWS said thunderstorms in the region are capable of producing cloud-to-ground lightning, heavy downpours of rain and strong, gusty winds that could become severe in some areas. They're expected to continue into Thursday.

On Thursday, the day is expected to begin with patchy fog around 9 a.m. Skies will become partly sunny with a high near 89 degrees before showers and thunderstorms pick back up across the area after 4 p.m. A 60 percent chance of rain is expected, along with south-southeast winds around 5 miles per hour.

Showers and storms are forecast to continue Thursday night before tapering off in the early morning hours of Friday, although a 60 percent chance of rain remains into Saturday.

By Sunday, the likelihood of showers and thunderstorms will drop back to around 30 percent with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the lower 90s.