ROANOKE, Va. – After strong to severe storms popped up Tuesday, we’ll be a bit calmer Wednesday with on-and-off showers throughout the day. There’ll even be a possibility for a few peaks of sunshine.
Temperatures will be a bit warmer Wednesday with most areas maxing out in the upper 70s to low 80s. This will help fuel any thunderstorms we see over the next couple of days.
The big story is the continued intensification of Helene, which is expected to get to hurricane status by the end of Wednesday. Helene will undergo rapid intensification over the next 24 hours, and strengthen into a Category 3 or greater storm by landfall Thursday evening. This storm will be massive, with a wind field diameter of more than 400 miles wide.
We can expect to see impacts from this storm Thursday evening when wind gusts pick up along with a steady rain. Friday will be when we see the greatest impacts. Widespread rain, flooding, gusty winds, and even a couple tornadoes are all within the realm of possibilities when it comes to this storm. By late Friday night, another system of low pressure located to our west will absorb what is left of Helene, and lead to a few lingering showers this weekend.
Be careful when out on the roads, as roadways will certainly be slick with instances of flooding likely over the next few days.