ROANOKE, Va. – A wind out of the south continues to pump tropical moisture into the region, making it feel very uncomfortable at times. That’s especially the case in the afternoon, as the heat index (feels like temperature) rises into the 90s for many spots (like it did Tuesday).
The only hope of cooling down comes in the form of scattered storms. These will take some time to materialize, though. Around Noon, we’ll first see them popping up near the West Virginia-Virginia line, thanks to the lift that the mountains provide.
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Slowly but surely, we’ll see these storms drifting east. This slow movement could lead to some localized flooding in areas west of I-81.
Given how humid it is, any storm that develops could become strong. Main things to look out for will be localized flooding, a few downed trees and/or pea-to-quarter sized hail. The bulk of the severe weather will be well to our north, in places like Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.
A few pop-up storms will still be possible throughout the evening, so let’s hope that they miss Martinsville Speedway. As we head into the overnight, a cold front gets closer. Along that front, a line of showers and storms will develop. This line will move west to east throughout the area early Thursday morning.
During the day Thursday, the best chance to get wet will be in Southside. The rest of us will begin to see drier air moving in. However, that’s a gradual process.
We’ll start Thursday morning out very sticky once again.
A west wind kicks in and will at least make things feel more manageable Thursday afternoon and evening in the Roanoke Valley, New River Valley and Highlands.
It’s not until late Thursday and Friday that we start to feel more comfortable air move in. This will set us up with a very nice Friday and a mostly dry Saturday.
The high pressure system that helps keep things dry will then move north and east of us. That, in combination with an area of low pressure above us, will be a recipe for cooler air, more clouds and intermittent rain showers from Sunday through the middle of next week.
We’ll keep you posted on rain totals and whether or not flooding becomes a problem next week.