ROANOKE, Va. – Saturday Evening Update
The Weather Authority Alert Day issued through Jan. 20 due to mixed precipitation and frigid temperatures across Southwest and Central Virginia has been lifted.
Really cold air and windy conditions have entered the region. Wind Chills struggle to make it out of the single digits and teens today.
Saturday Morning Update
Wind chill advisories are in effect for much of Southwest Virginia. Though this advisory expires at noon, the winds and bone chilling temperatures will last all day and into the overnight.
Wind speeds will be sustained from 10-20mph and gusting near 30mph at times. If you are heading out for the day, you will definitely want to have a big coat, a warm hat, and gloves.
The wind chill at 12:00 PM is below zero for nearly all of the NRV and parts of the Highlands.
The Roanoke Valley, Lynchburg and the Highlands will feel a tad warmer, but it will still be frigid out there. Please keep warm if you are planning on being outside today.
The weekend forecast doesn’t tell the entire story. Temperatures won’t feel like the truth until late on Sunday. To stay updated with information about today’s Weather Authority Alert Day you can download our weather app.
Friday Afternoon Update
Temperatures stay chilly through Friday afternoon, but with so much cold air coming in Saturday morning ends up as one of our coldest this season.
Most lows end up in the teens, and with high wind gusts it feels even colder. We do get some sunshine to make it feel a little better.
Wind is consistent through the night into Saturday morning. While gusts aren’t quite as high on Saturday there is still enough wind to keep us feeling extra cold.
Wind chills drop below zero after midnight and stay there through sunrise. Even by noon there are still wind chills that feel colder than zero degrees.
Warmth is on the way: as we start next week high pressure brings in warmer air from our south. That puts highs in the 30s on Sunday with 40s and even 50s by the middle of the week.
We had an Appcast at about 7:05 a.m., which you can watch in full below:
3:00 a.m. Friday Update
The most widespread precipitation is moving north and east of the area early on this morning, though there are some slick spots.
That’s especially the case in the New River Valley, the Roanoke Valley and the Highlands.
Be extra cautious on sidewalks, bridges, parking lots, decks/porches and driveways.
Scattered snow squalls will continue off-and-on Friday.
Where they develop, they’ll result in a brief and light accumulation, along with strong wind gusts and limited visibility.
We’ll all be gusty at times throughout the day Friday, which will add some chill to the air.
That’s especially the case Saturday, when another dose of Arctic air arrives. Though we’re dry, it’ll once again be dangerously cold in the western half of the area.
We’ll start to turn things around with each day that goes by next week.
Though we’ll be wet at times Wednesday through Friday, we’ll see temperatures climb the ladder.
Thursday Night Update
Chief Meteorologist Jeff Haniewich gives you an update on our Weather Authority Alert Day for tonight through Saturday in the video above.
He’ll let you know who has the best chance to see some snow and just how cold we’re going to turn this weekend.
Watch our 10 p.m. Appcast below.
Thursday Afternoon Update
Winter alerts continue through our region all the way until Saturday morning. Snow begins Thursday evening and continues into Friday morning with our heaviest accumulations on western slopes.
Snow starts very late on Thursday with consistent coverage in most zones after midnight. More wintry mix is likely in Southside.
Snow showers break up after sunrise. Snow keeps falling on western slopes into the afternoon.
Ice is possible in Southside, but for most of us, snow is more likely. Snow more than an inch falls north of US-460.
Behind the snowfall frigid air rushes in and drags temperatures down. Lows reach the teens at the end of the week with highs staying in the 20s on Saturday.
Thursday Morning Update
Thursday night and Friday’s system is not expected to bring as much snow to the area as what we saw on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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Light snow showers are expected across the New River Valley, the Highlands, the Roanoke Valley and parts of Lynchburg early Friday morning. A mixing of wintry precipitation is expected across Southside during the early morning hours.
Snow showers will then turn scattered, mostly targeting the western slopes, through Friday evening. This is where we have the chance to see several inches of snow. In western Alleghany, Bath, Rockbridge, Nelson, Giles, Bland, Wythe and Grayson Counties, we could see more than an inch of snow through Friday night.
Most areas outside of that will see less than an inch. Keep in mind, however, that anything will stick on our cold ground.
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The wind then picks up big time Friday afternoon. Gusts of 30 to 45 mph will be common across the area.
Despite that, Friday afternoon’s temperatures will become warmer than freezing in most spots.
That all changes as we enter the weekend.
Saturday brings another round of Arctic air. Morning temperatures will drop into the teens that morning. It’ll be that cold through Monday morning too.
In addition to that, wind chills will drop below zero in the mountains Saturday morning through Sunday morning.
If you’re not a fan of bitter cold, there’s hope on the horizon. Next week will bring a warm-up, along with some mid-to-late week rain chances.