ROANOKE, Va. – We have a break from windy, rainy days for the end of this week. Rain comes back before the end of the month so if you have some work to get done outside try to use Friday and Saturday to your advantage.
Friday stays particularly sunny. Some light snow showers fall in the middle of the day but don’t last long.
That sunshine helps temperatures climb from a cold start. Highs are technically below average, but the sun makes it feel a little nicer.
Light winds stick around through the morning without causing much wind chill. Wind gusts to 20 mph are much easier to deal with than the 40 mph gusts we had earlier this week.
Wind chills are at their coldest Friday morning. Once the winds calm Friday afternoon they stay calm through the night and into Saturday. You need less layers if you want to get an early start to your weekend.
Sunshine and incoming warm air help Saturday warm up nicely: most highs reach the 50s which is almost 10 degrees above average. Clouds headed our way Sunday with a changing weather pattern restrict us to the upper 40s and low 50s.
High pressure south of us Friday and Saturday is the driving factor for our sunshine. A low forms in the center of the country this weekend and brings moisture our way Sunday. Most of that moisture turns into clouds with some of it even making showers Sunday evening.
Showers are scattered Sunday so you can still get out and about if you need. More light showers are coming Tuesday with more consistent rain in the middle of the week.
That rain system brings colder air behind it that sticks around for the first days of February. Highs are below average for the end of next week without much warmth to come afterwards.
The center of cold air in the country moves closer to us as February goes on. Temperatures are more likely to be below average in February than they were in January.