ROANOKE, Va. – The ‘Dog Days of Summer’ officially end on August 11th, and boy if that dog isn’t barking...
High temperatures Wednesday soar into the 85-90° range in the higher elevations, with low to mid 90s likely elsewhere.
Recommended Videos
The humidity adds insult to injury as well, with the heat index nearing and exceeding 100° in areas east of the Parkway. By using what’s called the wet bulb globe temperature, we can assess the heat risk for athletes, outdoor workers, etc. The worst time to be outside working is between 1 and 3 p.m., though you should still use plenty of caution between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. the next several days.
Our only hope of cooling down comes in the form of scattered storms. While West Virginia may see showers in the morning, most of us see isolated storms develop between Noon and 1 p.m. Wednesday.
These storms blossom and grow in coverage as they move east, before dissipating shortly before sunset. Keep in mind that anything in this heat can turn strong/severe, with localized wind damage, small hail and even localized flooding being a possibility.
By Thursday, the wind comes down the mountains and adds a degree or two to our heat. We’re looking at near-record highs in areas like Covington, Roanoke and Lynchburg. There should be fewer storms, due to the downsloping wind.
That may delay storms until later in the day Friday as well.
As a front gets closer, it squeezes out our heat and humidity in the form of more numerous storms Saturday afternoon and evening.
As the front moves south, we’ll turn “cooler” Sunday through next Tuesday. At this point, we could be working with tropical moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred.
Fred formed Tuesday night in the Caribbean. How this storm interacts with the mountains of Haiti/Dominican Republic will play a large role in its fate as it nears the Gulf.
Stay with us for updates on the heat, storm severity and Tropical Storm Fred by downloading our weather app.