ROANOKE, Va. – Simply put, the weather was awesome over the weekend! If you’re enjoying the warmth, you’ll be in luck as we get the work week started as highs hit the 70s and 80s this afterrnoon.
For perspective, our typical highs in early March are in the 50s. We’ll be closer to records than those averages today.
Part of the reason for the warm-up will be strong southwesterly winds. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued wind advisories and high wind watches in anticipation of the gusts.
The wind alerts will generally run from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today.
So we’ll have warmth, we’ll have wind and we’ll also have thunderstorms! These will be associated with a cold front sweeping through the region.
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed most of the area under a slight (level 2 out of 5) risk of severe storms this afternoon and evening.
I think coverage of the rain and storms will be highest around 5 to 7 p.m.
The strongest storms will carry the risk for damaging wind gusts and localized flooding. Large hail and/or tornadoes don’t appear to be in the cards with this front.
Behind the front, we’ll feel a BIG dip in temperatures by Tuesday morning. You’ll start the day in the 30s and 40s. We’ll rise into the 50s by afternoon.
Another storm system is expected Tuesday night into Wednesday. It appears the precipitation will start as a mix of rain and snow, then switch over to all rain later.
It will be quite chilly Wednesday with highs in the 40s and 50s.
Thursday and Friday don’t look terribly wet, but we’ll get some more precipitation by Saturday.