Charlotte to remain abnormally dry despite expected Friday showers

Friday’s expected quarter-inch to half-inch of rain will do little to ease this year’s dry spell in the Charlotte region, said Harry Gerapetritis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Greer, S.C.

“We really hoped we would get a little more out of this, because we will be dry again this weekend and for the next week,” Gerapetritis said.

Light rain was already falling at 5:30 a.m. Friday in some parts of the metro area, Gerapetrities said.

Intermittent showers are expected throughout the day, with the chance of rain at 80 percent. Some thunderstorms are possible.

The chance of showers stands at 30 percent Friday night before the rain moves from the region.

Saturday should be mostly sunny. All sunshine is forecast for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The next chance of rain is Thursday, although the chance right now is slim at 30 percent.

The Charlotte region and much of the rest of the state is classified as abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. That’s the lowest of five drought stages.

Only 8.54 inches of rain have fallen in the Charlotte area this year, compared with 12.88 inches normally, according to the National Weather Service.

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 6:39 AM with the headline "Charlotte to remain abnormally dry despite expected Friday showers."