ALERT DAY EXPIRES
ROANOKE, Va. – The Weather Authority Alert Day issued for Wednesday, Feb. 28 has expired.
EVENING UPDATE
For the most part, the rain is gone. However, cold air has moved in and winds will continue to howl.
Chief Meteorologist Jeff Haniewich joined us to let you know when winds die down and when we’ll see sunshine again.
AFTERNOON APPCAST AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
Meteorologist Marshall Downing joined us to break down what you can expect during today’s Weather Authority Alert Day.
UPDATE
Rainfall is consistent through 5:00 PM with our northwestern counties drying out first. The severe chance greatly drops as the system moves on.
The rain mostly falls on the western edges of our zones. Some totals climb higher than an inch, but most of us are under half an inch.
Wind gusts pick up right as the rain eases off. Gusts to 40 mph are possible through Wednesday evening with some gusts lingering past midnight. Be ready for wind chill on Thursday morning.
The northwestern wind brings colder air through the night. Lows are around 30 with highs only able to climb around 50. We are even colder with more rain and clouds coming on Friday.
11 A.M. UPDATE
A line of heavy rain is inching closer to the West Virginia-Virginia border. We pushed out the update below to our free weather app.
11:00 A.M. - A line of heavy rain and storms is moving closer to the West Virginia-Virginia border. This will clear the area between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Then, the wind picks up and temperatures drop. pic.twitter.com/pzfALyCgy9
— Chris Michaels (@WSLS_Michaels) February 28, 2024
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7 A.M. APPCAST
Meteorologist Chris Michaels tracks when and where we’ll see heavy rain, strong winds and a dramatic drop in temperatures.
3 A.M. WEDNESDAY UPDATE
Some isolated showers will be possible Wednesday morning.
Outside of that, we’ll warm into the 60s by lunchtime through about 2 p.m.
Our line of heavy rain and storms rushes through the area between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Below is a timestamp for every two hours Wednesday afternoon.
Read below for more details on the big drop in temperatures and spike in winds Wednesday into Wednesday night.
10 P.M. APPCAST
Chief Meteorologist Jeff Haniewich joins us to time out showers and thunderstorms across the region. He’ll let you know what the main threats during Wednesday’s Weather Authority Alert Day are.
WEATHER AUTHORITY ALERT DETAILS
A Weather Authority Alert Day is in effect for Wednesday. A powerful cold front will bring a line of rain and storms, strong wind gusts and big drop in temperatures.
This line of rain and storms approaches the West Virginia-Virginia border between roughly 1 and 2 p.m. Wednesday.
It will quickly rush through the New River Valley and Roanoke Valley between 2 and 4 p.m. Temperatures will drop quickly from west to east behind it.
By 6 p.m., the line of storms will be east of here. Snow will target our western slopes before dry air moves in.
Temperatures drop from the 60s to the 30s and 40s within a matter of one-to-three hours Wednesday afternoon.
This is a rather dramatic drop that may take you by surprise, if you’re not in tune with our forecasts.
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This shot of cold air rides in on some strong wind gusts. Breezy winds will be around all day, but they’ll turn especially strong Wednesday evening into the night. Weigh down basketball nets, trampolines, hanging baskets, etc. before Wednesday evening.
This wind results in wind chills in the teens and 20s first thing Thursday morning. That’s not uncommon for February, but that’s a big difference from the spring warmth we’ll see before the line of rain.