Areas of central North Carolina got a taste of a tropical system Tuesday afternoon, with thunderstorms and showers that soaked Hoke, Cumberland and Lee counties.
Those storms will move to the north and east and then settle in for a series of wet days, according to WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth.
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"Have the umbrella handy for the next several days and probably into next week," Wilmoth said.
Rain chances remain at 70 percent through Friday, and drops to 50 percent over the weekend.
"At any point in time, we could have a shower, maybe a thunderstorm. It's just a tropical-like air mass," Wilmoth said
The storms bring some relief from the super heat, but they add in a humidity factor that will make the next seven days very sticky, WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel said.
The weather system stays over the Triangle through the weekend, with the chance for rain and thunderstorms, high humidity and temperatures in the 80s. Overnight lows will barely dip past the 70-degree mark.
Teachers headed to Wednesday's rally in downtown Raleigh should have their rain gear, she advised.
Up to 15,000 teachers and supporters are expected to gather at headquarters of the North Carolina Association of Educators around 10 a.m. and walk through downtown to the Legislative Building to demand that lawmakers add funding for education.
In the afternoon, the teachers will rally on Bicentennial Plaza, between the history and science museums, from about 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Neither of those time windows will be more rainy or dry than the other, Wilmoth said.