Indeed, a record high in RoanokePosted Apr30, 2007 at 10:26 PMRoanoke did in fact set a new record for April 30 ... 88 degrees, topping the previous mark of 87 in 1974. We'll make a run at the May 1 record of 90 on Tuesday before slightly cooler weather moves in later in the week. 90 degrees, perhaps?Posted Apr30, 2007 at 09:31 AMThe combination of strong high pressure, dry air and downsloping winds is likely to push our temperatures well into the 80s both today and Tuesday. Don't rule out the possibility of temperatures hitting 90 ... possibly in Roanoke, an even better chance south and east of Roanoke ... especially on Tuesday. In case you wonder ... Roanoke's earliest 90-degree temperature on record was on April 16, 2002. The record high for April 30 is 87 in 1974 and the record high for May 1 is 90 in 1957. Both of those are reachable if we go just a little above forecasted highs (National Weather Service calling for mid 80s today and upper 80s on Tuesday). A weak cold front will break up the mini-heat wave on Wednesday, but not dramatically: Our highs will fall back into the 70s for the remainder of the week. Placid days aheadPosted Apr27, 2007 at 10:28 AMA backdoor cold front introducing cooler, more stable air from the northeast stymied our storm threat on Thursday. There were a smattering of severe weather reports here and there in the states to our west, but none in North Carolina or Virginia on Thursday. Eastern Virginia may see a few stronger storms today. Here in Southwest Virginia, it looks like a benign weather pattern is setting in -- a little cooler at first, and then gradually warmer toward early next week. Building high pressure will keep away most rain threats away. A weak disturbance may trigger a few showers on Saturday evening, but otherwise, it looks like at least a few days that will not be cold, stormy, rainy or windy. Lack of heating may limit severe thunderstorm riskPosted Apr26, 2007 at 11:20 AMTemperatures are hanging around 60 this morning and the sky is full of clouds. Limited ability for the sun to heat the air near the surface could cut down on our severe weather risk today, favoring locations farther south and also to the west in the Ohio Valley. The wind shear aloft -- winds changing direction and speed with height -- is definitely there to boost the severe risk if anything does bubble up this afternoon. Gusty winds are the biggest threat, with some chance of hail. Tornadoes are unlikely, probably confined to the Ohio Valley with an isolated tornado possible in North Carolina. Latest severe weather risk map from Storm Prediction Center. Substantial risk of severe weatherPosted Apr26, 2007 at 12:17 AMStrong winds aloft combined with thick moisture, daytime heating and an approaching upper level low and cold front will provide our biggest threat of severe thunderstorms yet this year this afternoon and evening. The strong winds aloft may allow the storms to begin rotating, creating the potential for supercells producing large hail and high winds. Tornadoes are not out of the question, either. Follow the latest on the links below: Back to springPosted Apr23, 2007 at 08:09 PMOur wintry intermission is over. This week is looking like a typical late April week, with warm temperatures overspreading much of the nation and considerable storminess. Several outbreaks of severe thunderstorms, with some tornadoes, are likely in the nation's mid-section, and some of that stormy weather may near us later in the week. Follow the latest severe weather outlooks on the Storm Prediction Center's Web site. Color the temperature map ... orange ...Posted Apr19, 2007 at 07:09 PM
I think we could all use a sunny, warm weekend right now. And that is a nice shade of orange on the map for Orange and Maroon Day. Taking a breakPosted Apr16, 2007 at 05:46 PMIn light of today's tragic shooting at Virginia Tech, I'm taking a few days break from the weather blog ... unless there is some kind of very inclement weather moving toward our area. For now, it looks pretty calm this week, just a little midweek rain, once the wind dies down from the nor'easter late Tuesday. This day will really blowPosted Apr16, 2007 at 01:08 AMThis will be a very windy day, and may get even more windy as the day goes along. Expect sustained winds of 20 to 40 mph through the day, with gusts occasionally topping 50 or 60 mph. Skies will be partly cloudy, though there may be some snow showers in the mountains that will become mixed with rain as the day warms up. Tree damage and scattered power outages remain concerns today. What may be good news for many: Long-range signals point to a significant warmup the last week of April. More details on that later. Yep, some folks have been seeing snowPosted Apr15, 2007 at 07:50 PMAdvancing cold air caught up to the departing precipitiation area long enough for some locations in the New River Valley and in the higher elevations from far southwest Virginia eastward to the Blue Ridge area south of Roanoke to get measurable snowfall. Reports turned into the National Weather Service in Blacksburg this evening include 2 inches near Floyd, 1.5 inches at Fries in Grayson County, 1.3 inches at Union in Floyd County and 0.8 inches at the appropriately named Snowville in Pulaski County. I drove west a bit in the past couple of hours and saw some snow falling on Potts Mountain west of New Castle ... just beginning to turn white on the grass at the highest elevations there. Snow showers will likely redevelop later tonight, but they will be of the upslope nature as strong northwest winds squeeze out moisture blowing over the Appalachians. Some of West Virginia's easternmost counties may get 2-5 inches, especially in the higher elevations (wouldn't be surprised to see more like 6-12 inches from Quinwood north toward Snowshoe). A few flurries will likely bleed over the mountains, maybe even here into the Roanoke Valley. Before you ask, I know it wouldn't be the latest snow has fallen here. In 2001, snow showers fell off an on during the day on April 18. I haven't checked to see if there is a later date on which snow has fallen in Roanoke. "Nor'wester" wind damage threat is seriousPosted Apr15, 2007 at 04:41 PMAs snow spreads across West Virginia this evening ... possibly edging into far western Virginia, especially at higher elevations, as we approach nightfall ... and severe thunderstorms rumble through eastern North Carolina and possibly into southeast Virginia, the real danger threat from this storm system hasn't even begun for Southwest Virginia. Strong winds are expected to develop this evening and pretty much keep blowing through Tuesday. Sustained winds of 25 to 40 mph with gusts as high as 70 mph in some areas will be blowing against trees that (a) are partly leafed out in many locations and (b) are rooted in soils made wet by rain. This could mean that a significant number of trees will be blown over. The duration of the expected wind event is unusual. It is not unusual in the fall through spring months to get a 6- to 12-hour period of high winds, but this one could last 36-48 hours. The developing nor'easter will only slowly move up the coast. The term "nor'easter," by the way, only refers to winds along the coast immediately north of the storm center. Here, it will really be more of a "nor'wester" with strong northwest winds on the back side of the storm. Some minor flooding has also developed on a few rivers, parts of eastern West Virginia are expecting accumulating snow, and a tornado watch is in effect into the evening for much of central and eastern North Carolina and Virginia. Motley mix of watches, warnings, advisoriesPosted Apr15, 2007 at 09:40 AMPresently, within a 3-hour driving radius of Roanoke, there are flood watches for areas both east and west, flood warnings just to the west, a tornado watch for parts of central and eastern North Carolina, a winter storm watch for the highest elevations in North Carolina, a snow advisory for other high elevation areas, and high wind warnings for many areas tonight and Monday. That's all a testament to the power of a storm system that hasn't even fully matured yet, drawing warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic into close proximity with cold, dry air from the polar regions. When a pair of low pressure systems -- one near us, one farther to the south moving from Georgia into South Carolina -- consolidate off the coast later today, a potent nor'easter will be born. High winds, coastal erosion, heavy rain and heavy snow will affect millions in the eastern United States. Flood warnings, high wind warnings issuedPosted Apr15, 2007 at 09:22 AMHeavy bands of rain in the last few hours west of Interstate 81 have resulted in a whole string of flood warnings along the Virginia-West Virginia line, including Giles, Alleghany and Bath counties in Virginia. Some flash flooding of highways has been reported just across the line in Greenbrier County, W.Va. High wind warnings are now up tonight and Monday for all of Southwest Virginia. As the nor'easter cranks up along the coast, winds are expected to gust as high as 70 mph in the higher elevations and up to 60 mph anywhere. With many trees having some leaves on them and rooted in a wet ground, there will be a strong possibility of uprooted trees in the area. Click here for the latest watches and warnings from the National Weather Service in Blacksburg. Getting off pretty easy here so farPosted Apr15, 2007 at 12:22 AM
Storm's impact will soon be felt herePosted Apr14, 2007 at 05:11 PMThe spring storm that is spreading a wild mix of inclement weather across the central and eastern U.S. is on our doorstep, and within a few hours, you can expect to see some driving rain and perhaps even hear a little thunder late tonight. Counties just south and east of the Roanoke and New River valleys -- Bedford, Franklin, Henry and points east from there -- are under a flood watch tonight. Rainfall amounts of 1-2 inches are expected to be widespread. The big story with this storm in our area is likely to end up being wind. As the nor'easter wraps up off the coast Sunday, strong north and northwest winds will begin getting pulled through western Virginia. A high wind watch is in effect Sunday night and Monday for all of Southwest Virginia for the threat of wind gusts reaching 60 mph. And yes, there still could be some snow Sunday night and Monday, but it doesn't look like a big deal here, just a mid-April novelty. The snow could be a very big deal in inland areas of the Northeast, though. Massive weekend storm: Phase IIPosted Apr14, 2007 at 12:43 AM
As the low begins to blow up off the coast tonight and Sunday, gusty winds will also enter the equation. Strong winds from the northwest may be enough to change the rain to snow showers late Sunday, but it looks at this time like the accumulating snow will be mainly limited to higher elevations in West Virginia. Tornado scare in Dallas-Fort Worth metro areaPosted Apr13, 2007 at 07:49 PMIt appears that the Dallas-Fort Worth may have mostly dodged a major bullet this evening as a rotating, low-hanging wall cloud passed over the metroplex. There have been some tornado sightings, damage reports and a lot of very large hail reports in the area -- 2.5 inches wide at the international airport -- but the large rotating mass, shown live via towercam on CNN earlier, appears to have passed over the city without spawning a large, violent tornado that could have easily caused unprecedented damage. Still, a frightening night for one of America's largest metro areas. Massive weekend storm: Phase IPosted Apr13, 2007 at 04:52 PM
The powerful low pressure system spawning this severe weather is just to the west moving out of New Mexico entering the Texas Panhandle. Its counterclockwise spin is drawing up lots of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and pulling cold air from Canada, resulting in the severe weather these air masses are colliding (further fueled by powerful winds aloft giving thes storms a spin) as well as heavy, blowing snow in Colorado and Kansas, which have been repeatedly pummeled by blizzards during the last few months. This whirling dervish is going to roll across Dixie in the next 24 hours and kick off a monstrous storm off the East Coast by Sunday. And that's when our very taxing nor'easter will be born. Powerhouse nor'easter for the weekendPosted Apr12, 2007 at 09:39 PM
For our area, it looks like a wind-whipped heavy rain dumper ... but it's going to try its darndest to suck enough cold air south from Canada on Sunday to change it to ... am I really about to write the "s" word in mid April? In fact, snow showers seem a good chance over much of the area by Sunday night and Monday morning, with accumulating snow possible in the higher elevations just to our north and west. If you have any travel plans for the East Coast this weekend, monitor this storm closely. An extremely normal dayPosted Apr12, 2007 at 07:09 PMToday was exactly what it's supposed to be like in Roanoke this time of year. Today's high in Roanoke: 67. The normal high for April 12: 67. Today's low in Roanoke: 43 The normal low for April 12: 43 It doesn't get any more normal than that! Kinda weird after all the ups and downs we've had with temperature. Can April maintain its cold pace?Posted Apr11, 2007 at 10:02 PMA third of the way through April, and temperatures are averaging more than 4 degrees below normal ... even though the first four days of the month were much above normal. The average temperature for the first 10 days of the month in Roanoke was 49 degrees, and today's chilly rain will drop that a little more, since it never got above 49 all day. Normal highs this time of year are in the mid 60s. The record coolest April in Roanoke averaged 51 degrees in 1961. It will be hard to reach that mark, as we'll surely get a couple of warm days sooner or later, but with a weather pattern conducive to below normal temperatures likely for much of the next two weeks, one wonders if we can follow the warmest March on record with the coldest April. A needed rain, even if a chilly onePosted Apr11, 2007 at 12:36 PMWe're moving out of the sharply cold pattern into one that will be cooler than normal, overall, but will feature periodic systems moving across the country from the Pacific, giving us rain. The first of those is arriving today and tonight, and we're already seeing some rain. The Hydromteorological Prediction Center suggests we could get more than an inch of rain (see map here). Considering we came into today 3 inches below normal in rain for the year, we need this rain even if it makes for a chilly, dank day. The freeze lived up to its billingPosted Apr10, 2007 at 09:59 AMThis is one time you have to give the government forecasters their due -- they were blowing the horn about major freeze damage to the mid-Atlantic peach crop more than a week ago, as this earlier blog entry noted. That has become reality, as Christina Rogers' story in today's Roanoke Times describes. More sweater-and-jacket weather aheadPosted Apr07, 2007 at 11:39 PM
One record already set; others may fallPosted Apr07, 2007 at 11:29 PMRoanoke already set one cold-weather record on Saturday ... the day's high temperature of 39 was 6 degrees colder than previous coldest high for April 7, 45, in 1982. Roanoke's record low for April 8 is 25, set in 1982; Blacksburg's record low for the same date is 18, set in 1982. You can take a look, linked below, at hourly readings for both cities, throughout the past 24 hours, to see if those records were broken. Easter weekend snow photosPosted Apr07, 2007 at 04:32 PM
Fire and icePosted Apr07, 2007 at 01:14 PMIt might seem bizarre, but the Roanoke Valley is under both a red flag warning for fire danger today ... due to gusty winds, dry air (despite morning snow showers) and dry ground fuels ... and a freeze warning late tonight and Sunday for expected lows in the 20s. Click here for more information on current advisories. I awoke to a dusting of snow on April 7Posted Apr07, 2007 at 08:30 AMThe grass, car tops, roof tops and other exposed objects were covered in a thin layer of white this morning as I awoke to walk my dog in south Roanoke County about 8 a.m. The Roanoke Regional Airport had a brief period of snow at 6 a.m., according to its hourly weather observations online, but is only reporting "a trace" of precipitation having fallen, so what I'm seeing may not be areawide, or even across the Roanoke Valley. But some of you this morning are awaking to an unusual snowy April scene, especially in higher elevations and locations west of Roanoke. Let me know how much snow you have, or even send in a photo. (Post a comment below or email me) I'll post a few of my shots, and possibly some of yours, later today. Snow falling in many areasPosted Apr06, 2007 at 08:24 PMI've gotten reports this evening of snow falling in south Roanoke County and starting to accumulate in some in parts of the New River Valley. It really is April. Alberta clipper in AprilPosted Apr06, 2007 at 06:06 PM
National Weather Service radar in Blacksburg is down for repairs (better now than sometime when strong storms are rumbling through), but this regional radar view can help you follow the progress of the precipitation. April snow? How much?Posted Apr06, 2007 at 10:13 AMThis morning, the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center gives a stripe through the middle of Virginia a slight chance of seeing 4 or more inches of snow (see this map UPDATE 4:30: NEW MAP TARGETS SNOW POTENTIAL NEAR D.C.) from the Alberta clipper storm system passing through tonight from the northwest. Primarily, this threat area is to the north of U.S. 460, so does not really include the Roanoke or New River valleys. Owing to the dryness of the air ahead of the system, the warmth of the ground, and questions about the strength of the storm system, local forecasters are not going anywhere near there with snowfall forecasts. It seems likely at this point that some snow will fall on parts of central and western Virginia tonight, but accumulations will be hard to come by unless it falls a LOT heavier than expected. Higher elevations will be more likely to see white ground than lower elevations, as is common, and typical upslope areas of eastern West Virginia may see a few inches this weekend. Just don't be surprised. If you see white things floating in the air tonight, it may not just be blossom petals blowing through the air. Freeze warning tonightPosted Apr05, 2007 at 04:51 PMIt's usually later in the season before the National Weather Service issues frost and freeze warnings ... but because recent warm temperatures have accelerated blooming and budding of plants, a freeze warning has been issued for most of Virginia along and east of Interstate 81. Temperatures will be even colder to the west, but vegetation is not in as late a stage of growth, so potential damage will be less. |
