ROANOKE, Va. – Grab the umbrellas and keep them close by. We’ll need them this week.
The rain continues Tuesday with more widespread downpours and storms likely. Some storms could be stronger with damaging winds, torrential rain and small hail all within the realm of possibilities. Most of these storms will fire up in the late afternoon and continue into the evening. Rain persists overnight, which could lead to several roadways with standing water and slick conditions overall.
The rain doesn’t stop there either- as rain chances continue for the next several days. Expect overcast skies and stray showers each morning this week, before giving way to a bit of clearing and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. This widespread rain throughout the week will create the concern for flash flooding even before any tropical weather arrives.
What is soon to become Helene will arrive in our area Friday, with winds beginning to pick up overnight Thursday into Friday. We can reasonably expect some damaging winds and a bit of severe weather, but it will largely depend on how west this storm treks.
Rainfall totals could approach 5-8″ in Southwest Virginia by the time all is said and done. Local amounts of nearly a foot of rain could occur in the Southeast, with cities such as Atlanta, Knoxville, and Charlotte seeing totals closer to a foot of rain.
This will be a very dangerous storm, so be sure you are prepared by getting an emergency action plan, having batteries in the event of power outages, and checking in with family members, especially with anyone living along the Florida Gulf Coast.