You know the drill this time of year.

"Today will be hot and humid with a chance of scattered storms."

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While forecasting scattered storms can be like forecasting which kernel will pop in a bag of popcorn, there are some unique features to North Carolina that we can use as guides.

The three "storm zones" of North Carolina

The three typical
The three typical "storm zones" of North Carolina (© WRAL)

1. The Appalachian Mountains

I covered the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains for the first decade of my career prior to coming home to WRAL. Air rises along the terrain. That rising motion leads to condensation, cloud growth and thunderstorm development.

2. The "Piedmont Trough"

In response to the mountains, you'll get a "trough" at the surface level. Troughs are another region in the atmosphere in which the air rises, giving us the foundation for scattered storms or even lines of storms.

3. Sea Breeze

The temperature difference between ocean and land is a frequent catalyst for showers and storms, setting off a daily circulation that you see along our coastline. Folks in Florida are very much used to seeing this as well.

In Central North Carolina, we're caught in between all these zones. This can make forecasting the exact location of scattered storms a challenge. That is, unless, we can see where different outflow boundaries clash in between these zones.

We went over outflow boundaries in Monday's 'Ask the Meteorologist.'

Customize your location on the WRAL Weather app

This time of year, a lot of us are traveling. No matter if you're traveling across North Carolina or anywhere else, you can customize your location on the WRAL Weather app.

There are four very simple steps. It took me 30 seconds to complete.

Step 1. Select 'Current Location.'

When you open the WRAL Weather app, there will be a place toward the top of the screen that shows your current location. Tap that.

Step 1: Select 'Current Location.'
Step 1: Select 'Current Location.' (© WRAL)

Step 2. Select + Add Location

The next screen will allow you to tap on the "Add Location" button.

Step 2: Select + Add Location
Step 2: Select + Add Location (© WRAL)

Step 3. Type in any location

For the purposes of this demo, I selected RDU. If you plan on visiting the Outer Banks or Asheville, you'd just have to type that in. Easy!

Step 3: Type in any location you'd like
Step 3: Type in any location you'd like (© WRAL)

Step 4. Select alerts you want

There are a variety of alerts you can opt into or out of. I kept all mine selected, but maybe you care more about severe thunderstorms and flooding than you do about snow squalls or blowing ash.

Step 4: Check whichever weather alerts you'd like to have sent to you
Step 4: Check whichever weather alerts you'd like to have sent to you (© WRAL)

Have questions about the weather and how it works?

Send me an email with the subject line 'Ask the Meteorologist:' to cmichaels@jshu.net.