Skip to main content
Cloudy icon
44º

Summer heat continues prior to close call with Elsa

Elsa will likely bring periods of heavy rain to Southside by Thursday

High heat continues Tuesday afternoon

ROANOKE, Va. – The heat really picked up Monday afternoon as compared to the weekend. We expect to tack onto that heat Tuesday afternoon too. Highs in the New River Valley will peak in the mid to upper 80s. The rest of the area will generally see high temperatures of about 90-95°.

High temperature forecast for Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Recommended Videos



Make sure you’re staying hydrated, seeking shade and finding ways to stay cool. That’s especially the case between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

With the jet stream being farther north, we expect the heat to return Wednesday afternoon as well with high temperatures maybe a degree or two lower than Thursday.

Upper air pattern favors summer heat through at least Wednesday

You may notice some haze in the sky as well the next few days. Some of that can be traced back to wildfires in Canada. Thankfully, though, the air quality at ground level won’t suffer.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Elsa will get closer to U.S. soil. With a front to the west, it’s likely that we miss the worst of the storm. However, it is a close call for Southside. This is a part of the area where we could wind up getting some heavy rain between about 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday.

Tracking Elsa by Thursday morning

Any shift of even 25 miles could mean more rain and possibly severe weather for the eastern part of our area. For areas outside of Southside, however, it’s business as usual. We’ll be warm (low to mid 80s) and humid with some scattered storms, thanks to our front.

Rainfall forecast - partially due to what's left of Elsa Thursday

After what’s left of Elsa races to the north and east, we’ll be left hotter for the weekend with your garden-variety afternoon showers and thunderstorms.

For updates on Elsa, its path and possible local impacts, make sure to download our weather app.