Increasing warmth, moisture to follow unseasonably cool weekend
It was a cooler-than-normal weekend throughout Southwest Virginia, with Friday especially chilly compared to mid-September norms. Below are some facts about Friday’s temperatures at the two major reporting stations locally, at Roanoke Regional Airport and the National Weather Service office at Blacksburg.
* Roanoke’s high of 59 Friday was the earliest sub-60 high in the latter half of a calendar year in 97 years – it only made it to 57 on Sept. 12, 1914.
* Roanoke’s high of 59 was the coolest high on record for Sept. 16, breaking the previous record of 61 set in 1996. Roanoke’s weather records date to 1912.
* Blacksburg’s high of 54 on Friday shattered its previous Sept. 16 record for coolest high temperature by 5 degrees — 59, set in 1976. Blacksburg’s records date to 1952.
* Roanoke’s high temperature Friday was 19 degrees below normal, while Blacksburg’s was 21 degrees below normal — comparable to the normal highs for mid-November rather than 2 months earlier.
* The lows on Friday were 46 in Roanoke — 12 degrees below normal, 4 degrees above a daily record — and 40 in Blacksburg — 11 degrees below normal, 5 above the daily record. Some temperatures in the 30s were reported in outlying areas.
* Blacksburg’s high of high of 58 on Saturday also set a daily record for coolest high temperature, beating out the previous Sept. 17 record of 60 set in 2000.
Looking into the week ahead — warmth and moisture slowly build early in the week, with perhaps some low 80s from Roanoke south and east by Tuesday. A slow-moving cold front and some waves of low pressure moving northeast along the front are likely to trigger some widespread showers by Thursday. The inset map at left shows projected precipitation probabilities for Thursday by the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, in the 80 percent range throughout much of the central and southern Appalachians as moisture banks ahead of the front and along the higher terrain. Right now it doesn’t appear likely to be a major flooding event, with amounts around an inch expected across much of the region, but that could go up if the front slows or stalls or there is more intense moisture inflow. (And, of course, lesser amounts if the front is faster or there is weaker moisture inflow.) Cooler weather will again follow this front next weekend, though maybe not quite as cool as Friday was
September 18, 2011 - 11:51 PM
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I generally don’t worry too much about the weather but the granddaughter is having an outside birthday party this weekend so wondering (worrying) about the weather. Cool and dry are good but rain and cold are not. I will keep checking back for information about this front.
Right now it looks like the front clears on Friday and the weekend is cool and dry.
Getting a little bit of drizzle where I’m at in south Roanoke County now. Perhaps some moisture/upslope effects. Widespread rain isn’t expected today, but showers/drizzle will be possible — with a better chance every susbsequent day this week, becoming likely late Wednesday or Thursday.
Off and on drizzle up here on the mountain. Just enough to run intermittent windshield wipers on low.
No need to collect rain water anymore so will let this week’s rain go into the ground to replenish ground water.
How many fires have you tetched off D. Carol?
Well it sure has been a dreary day so far here in my neck of the woods, so I’m assuming it is that way elsewhere. The temp is still holding at 61. No rain so far, not even any drizzle that I can tell. I was hoping for a bit of sun this week since we haven’t seen it since…well…I don’t remember!
wdbrand – no fires started here -not even in the woodstove! But it has been a soup/stew and homemade bread weekend. Good broccoli growing weather too!
Strange to see the clouds coming out of the south-southwest this evening. Normally up here they come out of the northwest or west. Radar is showing the rain heading this way.
Amazing turnarounds this month in Roanoke’s weather, and I don’t mean only the rainfall (which is at 6.34 inches at RRA). The first four days of this month, up through the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, averaged 6.25 degrees warmer than normal. Now the month to date is a minus 0.9 through yesterday, and guaranteed to fall at least another 1/2 degree because today’s high was only 65, WAY below the normal high of 77. Great weather and great looking yards now here in “Emerald City.” Hey, Tina B, sorry that things have been so gloomy your way. I am sure that you saw the sun on Thursday, didn’t you? We had some sun here just before sunset on Saturday, at times on Sunday afternoon, too. I don’t think I actually saw the sun today, but it was not what I would call all that gloomy here in ROA today. By the way, TB, how much rain did you get from the 2nd through the 6th? At least 4 inches? Just curious.