Friday morning update
This Weather Authority Alert Day has been lifted.
Thursday Afternoon Update
The Winter Weather Advisory has been cancelled across the entirety of the viewing area. While wintery precipitation is no longer a concern, dangerous wind chill values will still be present this evening and tomorrow morning.
As we head into evening drive time, at 5:00PM, wind chill values will have fallen into the teens and single digits. With numbers like these, it is important to bundle up. Hypothermia and frostbite becomes a concern for those that are outdoors and exposed to the elements for a prolonged period of time.
Wind Advisories will remain in place for the highlighted counties until 4:00PM this afternoon. Winds will continue to gust up to 50MPH, which will contribute to the absurdly cold wind chill values.
Although the current wind advisory will have expired by this point, “feels like” temperatures will remain in the single digits and will fall below zero for some portions of the New River Valley and Highlands Zones by 7:00AM Friday.
Wind speeds will decrease as we head towards the weekend, and conditions will not feel as brutally cold.
Thursday Morning Update
The biggest impacts we will see are gusty winds and really cold air resulting in a frigid wind chill for the next 24-36 hours.
Temperatures across the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Midwest will be 15-25 degrees below normal for the day as a cold Canadian airmass moves in from up north.
This is something we don’t usually see. The hourly temperature outlook shows a decrease in temperatures during the day. By 2 p.m., temperatures will be below freezing, but feeling even colder.
Winds are also gusting between 30 and 40 mph along the Piedmont Thursday, and between 30 and 60 mph along the Blue Ridge with sustained winds near 25mph. It is going to be annoyingly windy all day long.
The wind chill will be feeling like the teens and twenties through lunch hour on Thursday, but it gets worse.
Single-digit values arrive by the afternoon. This is when frostbite and hypothermia become a concern for those who will be outside for prolonged periods.
Your Weather Authority Alert Day continues into Friday morning because the unbearable wind chill will continue through the morning. Negative and single digits are what most see and feel first thing Friday.
Roanoke, VA -- Wednesday Afternoon Weather Update
Wind Chill values throughout Thursday morning will reach dangerously cold levels. Both the Highlands and New River Valley Zones will dip into the single digits or below zero by 8:00AM. Roanoke, Lynchburg and Southside will still feel quite chilly feeling like widespread teens and twenties.
If you must go outside in these conditions, be sure to take the necessary precautions and bundle up.
Friday morning will look very similar to Thursday’s conditions. However, below zero wind chill values will be more widespread than Thursday’s, stretching across wider portions of the New River Valley and Highland Zones.
Winds are already whipping across the viewing area this afternoon, gusting from 11 to 32mph.
A wind advisory is in place for portions of the New River Valley, Highlands and Roanoke Valley Zones. This goes into effect at 7:00PM Wednesday evening and will expire on Thursday at 4:00PM. If you have unsecured light objects outside, be sure to secure them or take them indoors. Power outages may occur with downed trees as well.
Along with the concerns of dangerously cold wind chill values, a few mountain snow showers can be expected this evening as well. Winter Weather Advisories are in place for western portions of Highland County and Greenbrier County, WV. These will expire by 4:00PM on Thursday. Highlands Zone could experience a dusting to up to two inches of snowfall in areas included in the advisory.
A wintery mix will begin by 12:00AM Thursday morning and conclude by 8:00AM. Gusty winds and very cold temperatures will last throughout the entirety of the day, with dangerous wind chills continuing overnight into Friday morning.