Yes, it will be cold, but also ... dryPosted Nov29, 2007 at 11:32 PM
If this forecast comes to fruition, it could be a repeat of our cold snaps last winter that were largely dry and produced some skin-cracking temperatures, but little snow. You can get a couple of inches of snow out of very little moisture, but as of right now, it looks like the best chance of a big snow in the upcoming cold wave will be in the Northeast. Our Monday-Tuesday period may end up windy with snow flurries, and heavier snow squalls in those favored upslope areas of West Virginia. As of now, there is no obvious winter storm system on the way during the upcoming cold spell, but we'll keep our eyes out for any disturbances with potential. Winter on the way?Posted Nov27, 2007 at 05:36 PMAccording to the latest Threats Assessment temperature map from the Climate Prediction Center, some wintry cold may be just around the corner next week. Another under-producing rain systemPosted Nov27, 2007 at 09:16 AMRoanoke got a whopping .09 inch the last two days out of what appeared to be a decent-looking rain system. This leaves us at only .18 inch for the month of November. With our rain chances limited to showers on Thursday, this has a strong chance of eclipising the .44 inch in November 1960 as the driest November on record. Not snow this time, but lots of rain may be on the wayPosted Nov24, 2007 at 12:13 AMThough it wouldn't be absolutely shocking to see or hear a little sleet bounce around on Sunday morning, the winter weather threat looks very minimal with the upcoming system. But, according to the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center map linked here, the chances of widespread rain over areas that need it during the next 5 days looks very good. Compare the 5-day-rain map to the current Drought Monitor map. A hard freeze is on the way Saturday morningPosted Nov22, 2007 at 08:38 PMThanksgiving hasn't been as messy as we thought earlier. The rain was showery rather than widespread, so some folks got a few quick downpours, while others (like most of the Roanoke Valley) got very little. Either way, the cold front has moved through, and blustery northwest winds have begun to take our temperatures down. While temperatures will be cold tonight and Friday morning, Friday night and Saturday morning will be our coldest so far this season. Expect the low 20s here in the Roanoke Valley, with teens in most places to the north and west. Advancing moisture ahead of a new storm system still could catch enough of the cold here for a little freezing rain, sleet or snow late Saturday night and early Sunday, but warming temperatures should turn it all to rain by midday Sunday. A record warm day, but don't get used to itPosted Nov21, 2007 at 04:11 PMThe temperature has hit at least 73, tying the record set on this date in 1991. We'll see a little later if we squeeze another degree or two out of today's warmth. (UPDATED 11/22: Correcting my post here earlier, our high did top out at 73 without going higher, so we tied the record) A cold front approaching Thursday will sling rain and maybe some storms our way, with windy and chilly weather setting in after the front passes. So Turkey Day looks messy. Then things might get really interesting come Saturday night and Sunday ... it will be a race to see if newly arriving moisture can get in before the cold air gets pushed out. If it does, we could get our first taste of significant ice, sleet or snow this season. Let's just focus on the Thanksgiving fixings before we look closer at the weekend. Correcting the record highsPosted Nov20, 2007 at 04:52 PMMy previous blog entry noted that the record high in Roanoke for Nov. 20 was 73 ... it was actually 78 in 1985. The record for Nov. 21, Wednesday, is 73 in 1991, which could be challenged. Today's high in Roanoke has hit at least 73. Two days of warmth, then we go cold turkeyPosted Nov20, 2007 at 01:41 AMToday and Wednesday with both feature unseasonable warmth, with highs close to 70 in the Roanoke Valley. Normals for Roanoke this time of year run in the upper 50s for highs with records typically in the low to mid 70s (73 is the record high for Nov. 20). So record warmth is again possible, but don't get used to it. A cold front sweeps in Thanksgiving, and colder air returns for late in the week and into the weekend. Looks like November will end coldPosted Nov17, 2007 at 09:53 PM
More than a thousand dead in Bangladesh cyclonePosted Nov16, 2007 at 05:31 PMA cyclone is the same thing as a hurricane, it's just called by a different name in the Indian Ocean. Bangladesh, an extremely crowded lowland nation with persistently humid weather and extremely warm ocean water to the south, is particularly susceptible to deadly cyclones. The most recent has killed more than a thousand. Snowflakes and colorful leaves in the airPosted Nov16, 2007 at 08:35 AMWell, I see no indication that the Roanoke Regional Airport has "officially" reported its first snowflakes of the season, but they were definitely in the air where I live in south Roanoke County last night. And for anybody at a higher elevation than Roanoke and anywhere to the west, there is no doubt that some snow was in the air overnight and this morning. Has anyone noticed just how colorful this fall turned out around here? Tardy, but gorgeous. The strong winds behind Thursday's cold front have been whipping a lot of those leaves into the air. The problem, of course, is that an unusually large number of leaves are still on the trees, hampering leaf-gathering efforts that are usually winding down by mid-November. As pretty as they are, it would be a good thing to get a lot of these leaves off soon just in case there were an early-season ice or snow storm in the next few weeks. Damage would be enhanced with a lot of leaves for ice or snow to cling on. There's no indication that such a storm will occur, but we are starting to get late enough on the calendar that any approaching storm system with cold temperatures in place has to be monitored. A decent coating of snow to our westPosted Nov15, 2007 at 12:34 AMYou'll know when the strong cold front has gone through today, as winds will whip in out of the west and northwest and it will turn sharply colder. The mountains of eastern West Virginia and far western Virginia stand to get a decent covering of snow this evening, as upslope winds carrying Great Lakes moisture fire up snow showers and snow squalls. A few flurries will probably even drift into the Roanoke Valley. And by the way ... thanks for those of you asking about where my column has been Wednesday or Saturday ... I'm just taking a short break and will return in print on Saturday. Warm early this week, cold late this weekPosted Nov12, 2007 at 09:15 AMThis week's weather will be divided by a strong cold front that will move through the area late Wednesday or early Thursday. As a result, we'll have some pretty warm days early in the week, trying its best to top 70 on Tuesday. Then the front will move through and it will turn cold again late in the week. Rain chances look showery rather than the general rain we need. Until we get something feeding systems to us from the Pacific across the southern U.S., a regular pattern of precipitation will not be likely. Probably no snow for Roanoke this time aroundPosted Nov08, 2007 at 10:58 PMWith the low pressure system expected to track farther north and arrive in the warmer part of the day, we'll probably not see any snow in the Roanoke Valley on Friday. Locations farther north and west, however, and higher elevations could see some flakes in the evening. Another chance of some snow on the wayPosted Nov07, 2007 at 09:11 PMNot too much came of the chance of snow Tuesday night and this morning, though some high elevation areas up toward Greenbrier County, W.Va. and maybe Bath County, Va., probably saw some flakes. A better chance of snow enters the forecast on Thursday night and Friday and a weak low pressure system moves through the area. Temperatures will be marginal, but there is a chance of at least some snow throughout our region -- though as usual the best chances will be in the higher elevations. For the Roanoke Valley, a chance of a rain/snow mix on Friday morning will give way to mostly rain later in the day. There won't be much to this ... expect neither snow accumulations nor drought-breaking rains. Just a month ago Friday, on Oct. 9, we had our latest 90-degree day on record in Roanoke at 92. On Nov. 9, there is a chance of snow. The "s-word" is back in some forecastsPosted Nov05, 2007 at 10:18 PMIt was mid-April the last time there were snowflakes in the air over Southwest Virginia. Snow returns to some forecasts for areas west of Roanoke, including parts of the New River Valley, for Tuesday night as a cold front's frigid northwest winds will sweep moisture up the western slopes of the Appalachians, triggering those squally snow showers that become commonplace as we get deeper into winter. I wouldn't be surprised if a few flakes fluttered into the Roanoke Valley on northwest winds, but the best chance of seeing snow will be to the west of I-81. Some higher elevation areas of West Virginia and far western Virginia might even see some white on the ground. Click here for latest local forecasts by counties. Noel looking less like a hurricanePosted Nov03, 2007 at 12:02 AM
Hurricane Noel will help it get colder herePosted Nov01, 2007 at 11:26 PM
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About this blog
Kevin Myatt works on the copy desk for The Roanoke Times and is its principal weather geek, writing a weekly weather column and advising the newsroom on weather topics. He helps guide students on a storm chasing trip to the central U.S. each May and was an editor for "Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States." .....Advertisement.....
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