2 to 5 inches of rain? Really?

After weeks of hot, dry weather, it seems almost impossible to be talking about possible flooding concerns, but that's the situation this weekend in the western Carolinas.

Our stagnant weather pattern is not just coming to an end ... it's coming to a crashing halt.

Get ready for a very rainy Sunday, with much cooler weather.

Today will be the end of the summerlike conditions, with partly sunny skies and temperatures approaching 90 degrees this afternoon. It could be our 87th day of 90 degrees or warmer this year -- one short of tying the all-time record, set in 1954.

But the makings of a new pattern are approaching. A cold front is over eastern Tennessee on Saturday morning, and it is predicted to move into the Carolinas later tonight and stall for 24 to 36 hours.

At the same time, low pressure is forming over the Midwest and expected to move into Mississippi before drifting east or northeast on Sunday and Monday.

We could get a thunderstorm this afternoon or evening as the cold front approaches, but more widespread showers and storms are likely tonight, as the low pressure system sinks into the South.

On Sunday, temperatures will hold in the upper 60s and lower 70s. Meanwhile, the low pressure system will spread rain into our area -- not a here-and-there scattered shower situation, but more of a steadier rain. Best guess is that the rain will begin late Sunday morning. By later Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening, the rain could get heavy.

It could be a miserable day at Bank of America Stadium, for the Panthers-Bengals game ... from a weather standpoint. It could be miserable from a football standpoint, too, but that's another issue.

Justin Lane, of the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., says 3 to 5 inches of rain is likely in the higher elevations of the foothills and in the Blue Ridge mountains, with 2 to 4 inches in the Piedmont.

"Current forecasts suggest that the rain will fall over a long enough period of time that widespread flooding is not likely, especially given the recent dry conditions," Lane said. However, Lane added, localized areas could have flooding problems, but it's too early to tell where that might happen.

Expect the rain to continue into Monday, with a few thunderstorms added in the mix on Monday. The precipitation probably will end Monday night or Tuesday morning.

By that time, all of our lawns should be soaked enough for us to get the aerating and seeding started.

Once the rain is gone, don't look for a return to the 90s. Forecast highs next week are in the vicinity of 80 degrees, which is still a degree or two above average for this time of year.