Windy, stormy weather forecast for Rock Hill region tonight, early Thursday

Another stormy night awaits the Rock Hill area, forecasters say. But they are promising a warm, sunny weekend.

For the third time this month, a low pressure system is expected to spread thunderstorms across the Carolinas during the late-evening and overnight hours.

This time, forecasters say, the system carries the threat of damaging winds and heavy rain.

The National Weather Service is predicting 1-2 inches of rain to fall late Wednesday and early Thursday, with heavier amounts possible in some of the stronger thunderstorms.

Activity is expected to arrive in the late-evening hours Wednesday, then continue for several hours until a cold front moves east of the area.

“Isolated damaging winds, as well as brief tornadoes, will be possible,” says Justin Lane, of the National Weather Service office in Greer.

If all that isn’t enough, Lane says strong circulation around the low pressure system and ahead of the approaching front will cause gusty winds outside of the thunderstorms.

“Gusts in the 30 to 35 mph range could be common by this evening,” Lane says.

Showers are expected to end by mid-morning Thursday, with some clearing to follow. But forecasters say a weak upper-level impulse could trigger a few additional showers in the late-afternoon or evening hours Thursday.

Cooler temperatures are expected for the last day of April and the first day of May, with highs struggling to reach 70 degrees both Thursday and Friday.

But the heart of the weekend will be much different.

High pressure and full sunshine are predicted to push afternoon temperatures into the upper 70s Saturday and into the mid 80s Sunday and Monday.

The next cold front is forecast to arrive later Tuesday, and meteorologists say that could mark the beginning of a rather cool period across the eastern United States. The advance outlook calls for below-average temperatures for the first half of May in most areas east of the Mississippi River, except for the southern half of Florida.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle