It appears that a strong surge of warm air will move into eastern North Carolina after a minor setback over the weekend.  Weekend highs stayed in the 60s under mostly cloudy skies.  The week ahead promises to be full of sunshine with high well into the 80s inland and middle to upper 70s on the beaches.  It will be the warmest air of the season.  The warm air will feel good to most of us but the lack of rain is becoming a problem.  Many communities in eastern North Carolina are 3 to 6 inches below normal for the year.  The farmers and gardeners could use a nice soaking rain but little has fallen in recent days.  Only isolated thunderstorms appear likely for the next 3 to 5 days.  Long-range guidance suggests near normal rainfall for the summer months.  If so, we should have a good season across the area.