ROANOKE, Va. – Following a gorgeous holiday weekend, we’re eyeing more summer heat through the week ahead. As you see in the graphic above, the jet stream is retreating north. That allows hotter air to build into southwest and central Virginia.
Expect highs in the mid to upper 80s in the NRV and parts of the Highlands Monday afternoon, with upper 80s and lower 90s for highs in the Roanoke Valley, Lynchburg area and Southside.
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At times, you may see some haze up above. This can be traced back to wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada. Air quality issues should be kept to a minimum, thankfully.
Otherwise, expect high heat and humidity to continue through at least midweek.
The chance for storms is fairly minimal outside the mountains through Wednesday, but that chance goes up slightly by Thursday.
Tropical Storm Elsa will be riding the East Coast, but it will also be shoved mostly east of our area by a front to the west. That front is what will trigger more scattered showers and thunderstorms Thursday afternoon and evening.
The best chance for an inch or more of rain (related to Elsa) will be in areas along and east of I-95.
If you have plans to be along the East Coast mid-to-late this week, don’t cancel them. This storm won’t cause evacuations, and it may only rain for half a day. By Friday, it will be back to typical summer weather at the beach but with increased rip currents likely.
Here at home, the heat will linger through at least the weekend with gradually increasing afternoon storm chances each afternoon.