Gradual warming trend this week with temperatures in the 70s (possibly 80 degrees in some locations!) Thursday and Friday. DRY for the next several days. However, big changes arrive next week. See the weekly weather forecast video for more details.
- Rain develops, heavy at times, Tuesday morning through late Tuesday night
Our first winter storm of the season will take shape on Saturday with snow and ice across the Virginia Piedmont, Shenandoah Valley, and Roanoke and New River Valleys. A cold rain is expected off to the east.
We are watching two systems this week. The first one looks very uneventful, however, the second one is worth watching. I don't want to sound complicated, but I also feel that explaining meteorology is very important in our current thoughts.
Potential Tropical Cyclone SIXTEEN will likely be named Tropical Storm Ophelia by late Friday morning. The center of SIXTEEN will move into Eastern North Carolina. Impacts will be felt well north from the center of the storm.
Severe Thunderstorms are LIKELY this afternoon and evening across much of Northern and Central Virginia.
A warm front (with a low-pressure system across Indiana and Ohio) will move across our region late Sunday, followed by a slow-moving cold front moving eastward Monday into Tuesday. This sets the stage for the potential for severe weather late Sunday (isolated to widely scattered severe thunderstorms) and Monday afternoon/evening (scattered to possibly numerous severe thunderstorms.)
Low pressure across the Tennesse River Valley and high pressure moving off the New England Coast will create a very unsettled pattern over the next few days with multiple rounds of thunderstorms. Some of these thunderstorms will contain locally heavy rainfall with rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour.
The Storm Prediction Center has issued a SLIGHT RISK for severe weather along and WEST of Interstate 77 in Southwestern Virginia. A MARGINAL RISK has been issued for counties WEST of Interstate 95, which includes all of the Virginia Piedmont, Shenandoah Valley, New River and Roanoke Valleys.
After a story Sunday afternoon across portions of the Virginia Piedmont and Valley, the next 7 days are looking warm (not "hot") and on the dry side.