ROANOKE, Va. – Thursday and Friday are both hot days with chances for isolated storms in the afternoons. A break from the heat comes this weekend as a cold front sends more mild air our way from the north.
Sunshine and incoming heat from the south team up to push us into the 90 range Thursday afternoon. The warmest temperatures are east of Roanoke with plenty reaching the low 90s.
The bulk of storms stay well to the north. Storms in Ohio and Michigan are strongest while sending pieces of energy further south to encourage our storms to develop.
The best chance for those storms comes in the afternoon. While the Highlands is the only zone included in the SPC risk, there is some development further south. Check in with WSLS throughout the day to see if any storms get in your way.
The late afternoon and evening stay dry. Some showers and even downpours move through West Virginia Thursday night, giving our northern edge some showers before sunrise.
Temperatures stay in the 70s for lows Thursday night. Add even more heat from the south and more sunshine and you get the recipe for one of 2023′s hottest days.
The chance for storms is more widespread on Friday. Storms have an easier time developing outside of our region, but isolated systems similar to Thursday are possible.
Showers are slightly more widespread through the mid-afternoon on Friday. The low severe chance means damaging winds are possible but not likely.
Friday’s weather is the worst for most of us this week. Cooler, less humid air works in behind the front that causes Friday’s storms.
That cold front keeps showers minimal through the weekend. Higher pressure settles in behind the front to keep us partly cloudy. Some showers can develop, but storms hold off until early next week.
The drop in temperatures lasts quite a while. Saturday is almost 10 degrees cooler than Friday, and Sunday drops at least another 5 degrees.
Humidity drops after the front as well. The lower humidity means the weekend feels much more comfortable than the stormy days that end the work week.
The swing in temperatures is most pronounced when comparing Friday which is one of our hottest all year to Monday which is below average. We stay close to average (which for mid-August is rather comfortable) through midweek.