ROANOKE, Va. – In case you missed it, Christmas Day set and tied records for warmth in our corner of the Commonwealth!
Roanoke set a new record for December 25th as the temperature rose to 69 degrees. That beat the old record of 68 degrees from 1964 and 1982.
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We also had a tied record in Lynchburg as the Hill City reached 72 degrees for its high, matching Christmas Day 1982.
Temperatures will run up to similar levels to wrap up the holiday weekend and we’ll be in range of records again. Look for highs in the 60s and low 70s by afternoon.
We’ll also have variable cloud cover and northwest breezes throughout the day.
After a brief cool-down Monday, temperatures start to rise again. We’ll peak on Wednesday with temperatures more than 20 degrees above-average!
Rain chances are also forecast to rise by the middle of the week. We expect scattered showers Wednesday and more widespread rain Thursday.
We’re certainly hoping for some high rainfall totals associated with these next few systems. Remember, a good portion of the viewing area is still under moderate-to-severe drought.
Here’s what the European (ECMWF) model is projecting through Thursday. Heavy rain for some, not as much for others.
Previous versions of the forecast hinted at a cool-down by New Year’s Eve and Day, but this isn’t looking as likely now.
We may throw some showers in the mix on the first day of 2022, so stay tuned to forecast updates.