Our forecast could get rainy if hurricane forms off Carolinas

The National Weather Service office in Paducah is speaking in very general terms about the possibility that a potential Hurricane Imelda could change our late-week forecast into a rainy one.

For now, our outlook is still sunny with highs in the 80s through next weekend. But what's now called Potential Tropical Storm Nine near Cuba has a 90 percent probability of becoming a tropical storm. After that, it could intensify and move up alongside the U.S. Atlantic coast.

South and North Carolina are already taking steps to prepare for the potential storm to spawn Imelda as a Category 1 hurricane by Tuesday and threaten their coasts through Thursday.

Guidance so far has the system stalling offshore and then being picked up by Hurricane Humberto and taken out to sea. Right now models keep us dry, but we could see an increase in cloud cover and humidity mid to late week along with temperatures closer to normal should tropical moisture get pulled this far inland.

That potential path and its consequences should draw into better focus over the weekend.