ROANOKE, Va. – Rain started soon after sunset on Saturday and keeps falling through much of Sunday. The storm threat is greatest east of I-81, but the worst storms are closer to the Atlantic coast.
Storms have their greatest strength in the late morning with a threat of damaging wind gusts. More power outages are possible along with broken tree limbs. Flooding is a risk where rainfall rates are high like we saw last week. Hail and tornadoes are technically possible but difficult to form.
Rain rates are highest in Southside just before noon. Showers are more scattered the further west you are.
Rain is lighter after noon, and showers continue to break up.
Showers are very isolated through the rest of Sunday. Clouds break in some spots before more build up Monday.
Temperatures are stuck below 70 thanks to the consistent cloud cover. Those clouds help lows stay above average.
The best chances for storms are well to our east and south. If you’re traveling to the Carolinas or south Florida you might need to reschedule.
As the rain eases off wind speeds increase. Gusts to 30 mph are possible in the early evening. Winds slowly but steadily turn calmer overnight.
Rain totals range from a few tenths to half an inch. Flooding is unlikely with this level of rain, but it’s still possible. Be careful driving especially if you encounter any standing water.
Wind behind the cold front sends cooler, drier air our way from the northwest. Even though we still have quite a few clouds this week it takes until the end of the week for rain to come back.
Temperatures drop below average particularly through the first half of the week. By the weekend highs are closer to 70.
Showers are rare through most of the week with a better chance Friday and Saturday. Fronts mostly stay south of us, so we have less moisture to work with than when a front passes right over.