2023 Year In Review: Looking back at the year that was and was not in Southwest Virginiaโs weather
From wildfires to lack of snow to severe weather canceling a festival, 2023 did not fall short when it came to weather headlines.
ALL CLEAR: Weather Authority Alert Day issued for Monday, Nov. 20 expires
The Weather Authority Alert Day issued due to air quality concerns and smoky conditions across portions of Southwest Virginia has expired.
Pennies on the dollar: Why Friday nightโs rain wonโt be enough to eliminate drought, extinguish fires
We'll take any chance of rain we can get, but we need a substantial amount before drought and fire concerns go away.
4th of July Forecast! We remain hot and humid with partly cloudy skies.
Today will be fairly nice for most of us. Partly cloudy skies will build in through the day, and the chance to see a stray shower exists. Stay safe out there and enjoy the holiday if you can.
![Donโt burn! Unseasonably warm, dry weather leads to higher fire risk Thursday](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/1UZkzKS5XIidzlv_JlOVFARmsdg=/640x360/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/T67OQ6H3ONF7XAON63MZEKMJQI.jpg)
Donโt burn! Unseasonably warm, dry weather leads to higher fire risk Thursday
The dryness, unseasonable warmth and a breeze will keep the fire risk high Thursday. In addition to that, there is a statewide burn ban in place from Midnight to 4 p.m. each day until the end of April. Fire Weather Watch for Thursday, 3/11/2021Outside of that, Thursday will be another beautiful day to spend outside. High temperature forecast for 3/11/2021Enjoy that, because wet weather will return for some of us Friday. Stay tuned for updates, as the pattern turns wet at times throughout next week.
![PHOTO GALLERY: Smoke from Colorado wildfires adds color to weekend sunset](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/oNUX6iNYQHNNFYPzmFVzOWXWHAg=/1177x664/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/BYECDYUHLJEO3MKCXQ7ESCNX24.png)
PHOTO GALLERY: Smoke from Colorado wildfires adds color to weekend sunset
That said, the smoke from a wildfire in Colorado traveled cross country over the weekend and had a different (to some, more uplifting) effect on our sky. The sunโs light travels at different wavelengths, which corresponds to a different color. When the sun gets lower, its light travels through more of the earthโs atmosphere. This filters out the shorter wavelengths and exposes different colors such as orange and red. This adds to the red, orange, pink and purples that you see at that hour.
![Smoke from western wildfires makes for eerie sunset past two evenings](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/bkWv-bdrfYtoPhzDzh5cdNAJBcE=/1600x1064/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/DGWIYVGZNVDOJP67XFJWJFCWTY.jpg)
Smoke from western wildfires makes for eerie sunset past two evenings
ROANOKE, Va. โ As we wrote about Tuesday, smoke from the wildfires out west made its way to our sky. This, thankfully, has not had a negative impact on our health or air quality. It is, however, creating more haze in the sky and preventing us from heating up much. The smoke particles are also enough to block out a portionโs of the sunโs light, which creates for an eerie and odd-looking sunset. Several of your pictures in the gallery below show that.
![Godโs Pit Crew sends supplies to wildfire victims](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/h0qbKLZkqJwaBNacvxXAZNodzGg=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/d1vhqlrjc8h82r.cloudfront.net/09-15-2020/t_93e1deed3ffe40058f9b96fa0cede695_name_image.jpg)
Godโs Pit Crew sends supplies to wildfire victims
DANVILLE, Va. โ Godโs Pit Crew is shipping three tractor-trailers full of water, Gatorade and hygiene products to help people whoโve been displaced by the wildfires in Oregon and California. Godโs Pit Crew is also still helping out people impacted by Hurricane Laura. Recovery from these disasters is still a long way away, but Godโs Pit Crew COO Brandon Nuckles said itโs amazing to see the support pour in. God's Pit Crew is sending thousands of Blessing Buckets filled with supplies to help the victims of the wildfires out west. With Hurricane Sally hitting the Gulf Coast, Godโs Pit Crew is looking for monetary donations to buy more water, food and supplies because they have to limit the number of volunteers working at a time due to COVID-19.
![7 surreal photos: Wildfire smoke blankets San Francisco in a spooky orange glow](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/14hos92pJuUOc8HQ7UvXhsjXquo=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/W7ARKPQERVABDCDII5GNZAUFOQ.jpg)
7 surreal photos: Wildfire smoke blankets San Francisco in a spooky orange glow
A number of Northern California wildfires sent a thick, orange-glowing haze over the San Francisco area Wednesday, leaving the Bay in an eerie darkness. A fire burning in Butte County, located northeast of San Francisco, has forced thousands to evacuate from their homes, according to The Associated Press. (2020 Getty Images)An orange glow fills the sky above the Embarcadero in San Francisco. (2020 Getty Images)Smoke from various wildfires blankets the San Francisco skyline in darkness and an orange glow, seen from Treasure Island in San Francisco. (2020 Getty Images)An exterior view of the ballpark in San Francisco, California.
![Weather technology shows the severity of wildfires on the West Coast](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/kKCWOZJj8S4LxW_KJ3aCdG_uVSQ=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/W4CWYOD2EZDVPEV7MRI32JTWEI.jpg)
Weather technology shows the severity of wildfires on the West Coast
ROANOKE, Va. โ 2020 has been the worst year for wildfires in California, with more than 2 million acres burned this year alone. Record temperatures, bone dry air and high wind gusts continue to make the firefight extremely difficult along the West Coast. Nowadays, weather technology is advanced enough to showcase the severity of these fires. The black dots that you see in the picture below are where the surface is hottest, or where wildfires are currently burning. GOES 16 infrared satellite imagery of the wildfires on the west coast - College of Dupage (College of Dupage)RadarWe show radar most often when tracking any form of precipitation.
![Powerful storm produces snow, hurricane-force gusts; wildfires rage out west](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/-Kri1pJ0FWKOdgSiHYIEQAemd2s=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/NQBOBMMGUJGJRNXFAKGVJP7I4E.png)
Powerful storm produces snow, hurricane-force gusts; wildfires rage out west
For parts of the Rockies and Intermountain West, a powerful storm system flipped that upside down. A lone bison stands as a storm packing high winds and snow sweeps through the intermountain West Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Evergreen, Colo. Estimated snow totals reported by various National Weather Service officesWe received this photo of snow near Lander, Wyoming from Keith Trouwborst. Damaging Wind GustsThe wind around this bowling ball of a storm system was powerful at times as well, even for those who werent getting snow. As the wind screamed down the mountains toward Utah, wind gusts ranged from 50-100 mph.
![These celebrities are donating money to the Australian bushfires](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/2WC6ykAtUiBz3DWNLPV3LkK9sxo=/1280x720/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-gmg.s3.amazonaws.com/public/MDAVG64JJNG7BGUY4RIGBD5RZQ.png)
These celebrities are donating money to the Australian bushfires
The bushfires in Australia are still ravaging parts of the country and are wreacking havoc on small communities and rural towns. The damage has been devastating and news of the bushfires has spread overseas with many activists and celebrities sharing photos of the devastation on social media. There are many different places where you can donate money to help with relief, and many celebrities have shared donation links and even donated themselves. I am totally devastated watching what is happening in Australia right now with the horrific bushfires. Another Australian actor, Russell Crowe, who is in Australia right now, posted that he donated $105,000 to firefighters.