ROANOKE, Va. – Hurricane Ian dealt a devastating blow to parts of Florida Wednesday. While we don’t expect anything near what they saw, Ian will be impactful to our weather.

General timing of the rain/wind

Ian has moved a little more quickly than previously modeled, indicating that rain will spread north late Friday morning into the afternoon. It’ll be breezy and chilly at times, making for a raw feel.

The heaviest rain associated with Ian arrives in time for the evening commute, so driving conditions will be less than ideal. That’s especially the case when you factor in wind gusts of 25 to 40 mph.

These gusts will continue into the night and early morning hours Saturday.

Because we’ll be so cool, any potential for thunderstorms/rotating thunderstorms appears very low.

Rain may turn a little more intermittent or even scattered at times Saturday, as some energy is passed offshore.

However, the remnants of Ian stall nearby. This will generate more periods of rain Sunday and Monday.

How much rain are we talking?

The rain is mostly spread out from Friday afternoon to Monday.

That said, the heaviest rain arrives Friday afternoon through early Saturday. Rain totals through Monday will be on the order of 2-4″.

There will be some spots that exceed that, especially along the Blue Ridge. That’s where the air will rise more, squeezing out more moisture.

How will this impact me?

Some high school football games have already been moved to Thursday evening. You can check the schedule here.

Remember that the images you see from Florida will not apply to us. You’ll still be able to get out and about, though driving will be tough in the heaviest rain and gustiest wind late Friday and early Saturday.

Localized flooding will be a possibility, given the amount of rain. The intensity of the rain Friday afternoon into early Saturday may spark some flood alerts from the National Weather Service.

While the wind won’t be extreme, it may be enough to produce some power outages starting Friday evening.

The threat of damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes appears to be higher to our south and east where the air is warmer.

Otherwise, it’s going to be noticeably cool and raw.

Maybe take this as a moment to decompress, spend time with family, stream a new show or make some chili. The weather doesn’t have to be all bad.

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