ROANOKE, Va. – Thursday was a somewhat historic day for the Roanoke Valley, as it hit 90° for the 23rd consecutive day. Since records have been kept (1912), a streak like that has never happened in our area.
Roanoke has officially broken the record for longest heat wave as we hit a high in the 90s for the 23rd day straight. pic.twitter.com/tuLsNEnVqj
— Delaney Wearden (@DelaneyWearden) July 23, 2020
Recommended Videos
Lynchburg has a week-long stretch going, as does Danville. These streaks continue Friday and into the weekend. Along with the heat, comes the humidity and the chance for a few spotty storms Friday afternoon.
We don’t expect storms to be as numerous as they were Thursday. However, a couple could still become fairly strong, especially south of U.S. 460 between about 4 and 9 p.m. The main threat with any storm would be localized wind damage.
Afterward, we are clear of any major weather boundaries. High pressure inches closer for the weekend, leaving storm chances limited and heat in extra supply. Highs Saturday will be in the upper 80s and lower 90s, while Sunday will be a few degrees hotter.
This is thanks to a downsloping wind that will compress the air, allowing it to heat up and become drier. That will take us through Monday as well.
Storm chances won’t increase until the middle of next week. Meanwhile, we have a duo of tropical storms well offshore. Gonzalo is moving toward the Caribbean, while Hanna will make landfall in south Texas this weekend.
Behind that, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring another tropical wave off the west coast of Africa. ‘Tis the season for the tropics to start gaining steam. At the moment, there is no immediate threat to our region.