UPDATE 6:30 AM, 5/23: More showers and storms on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday; time to enter summer prediction contest
UPDATE 6:30 AM, 5/23: Not much reason to renew this post entirely, as Wednesday and Thursday are likely to be very similar to Monday and Tuesday, with scattered showers and storms developing as the day heats up. This will be the case until an upper-level low over the Carolinas finally moves northeast away from us late in the week. The good news for anyone with Memorial Day weekend plans is that it looks to be much drier overall — maybe a slight chance of some scattered afternoon showers and storms — and definitely hotter, with some low 90s quite possible. END UPDATE
It’s following me home! After reaching Blacksburg and working for a while to strip the equipment off three vehicles we used in the first round of the Virginia Tech storm chase, storms began to develop over the Blacksburg/Christiansburg area and followed me toward Roanoke through Shawsville and Elliston (I too the U.S. 11 route so I could pull off a few times, observe and photograph more easily). The photo at left was from between those two towns — here’s a bigger version. Storms with heavy rain, frequent lightning, some gusty winds and small hail occurred across parts of Southwest Virginia this afternoon and evening, and will slowly dwindle overnight. The thick moisture, however, will linger, and the approach of a cold front (the same front that fired storms we chased in Nebraska on Saturday — I’ll have more details on that at some point as we prepare for the second trip next week) and daytime heating will again squeeze out numerous showers and storms by Tuesday afternoon. Locally heavy rain from slow-moving storms will be the main concern, but some strong winds and hail are also possible. Wednesday and possibly Thursday look showery/stormy too, before a high-pressure ridge starts pushing us more toward warm, drier weather by the weekend.
I will start taking entries for the annual SUMMER FORECAST CONTEST now through May 31. Email weather@roanoke.com with your name, your location of residence (city, town or part of county), and 2 guesses: Roanoke’s highest temperature, and the date on which it will occur between June 1 and August 31. As a matter of reference, every year on record since the late 1940s had had a highest temperature between 91 and 105. I will put out some more reminders on this.
May 21, 2012 - 9:42 PM
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If some of you are looking at this thread for the first time on Tuesday (or Wednesday, if this thread is still the most recent thread then), I STRONGLY recommend that you go back to the bottom of the comments section of the previous thread and click on the link provided by Joe in his 8:41 PM comment on Monday night. It is a report by the NCDC (a NOAA organization) that is chock full of what I thought was wonderful information. One of the most informative reports I have EVER seen linked here, and it was all on about only 14 pages, too. Thanks very much, Joe!!
Kevin can run. . .but he cannot hide from severe weather!!
Welcome Home Kevin. It did seem that you brought the strong storms with you. Up here on the ridge, we watched them go west of us and then east of us and finally we got some rain from one as it fell apart.
Alberto has lost tropical characteristics, according to National Hurricane Center.
Here are some photos of flash flooding Monday night around Eagle Rock in Botetourt County:
http://blogs.roanoke.com/botetourtview/2012/05/flash-floods-in-eagle-rock-the-evening-of-may-21/
0.12″ in the last 1/2 hour along with thunder. Temp down to 63.7* at 12:47 PM.
It looks like we will finish May with a few days of “hot” and wet.
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/610day/index.php
About 430p storm blew up almost directly overhead …heavy rain, steady lightning …calm winds …little movement
Kevin..
Glad you made it back and all is well..
Here is a video of the one that sprung up
just south of you guys I think as u were heading to Nebraska..
I remember looking at this tiny area just SW of Wichita as you
posted about heading north.
This is in Rago Ks… nice tight white shaft.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0z5s-PILts&feature=related
Kevin, you and the storm chasers should have crashed this “Tornado Wedding” when you were out there last week.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47525281/ns/today-weather/
Thank you Doug.
Well, if I had not received about 7 inches of rain in the past 5 weeks, I would be pretty ticked off about now. We had our stretch of nice, sunny weather, one of the longest such stretches I can remember in a long time, and I am ready for something more that a tenth of an inch of rain. Maybe tomorrow or tomorrow night. Sure looks like tonight’s showers have hit elsewhere.
Bit of trivia. I checked the TWC’s hourly forecast for Roanoke about 8:30, and it showed about 85% chance of rain for both 9 PM and 10 PM. They stayed west of us and have now fizzled. I blame Khan’s lousy marksmanship …..
You are welcome, Joe, and you deserved the praise.
Meanwhile, a “blob” of showers/rain is moving due north through Franklin County, and might even make it over the Blue Ridge into some parts of the Roanoke Valley. Will it get here? Survey says no, that the most likely places within 15 miles of Roanoke are Vinton and the east side of Roanoke City, and Blue Ridge community, etc. Will I be proven wrong once again? ….. I hope so!!
Ah! The summer prediction contest comes about again! I like this; it is easier to win than the snowfall prediction contest! I feel that the requirements are less restrictive so it’s more user friendly. But I like both contests equally.
So, anyone watch hockey tonight?
Got my picks in.
Going to dominate this competition.
The summer contest usually has about 15 to 20 percent of the number of entries as the winter contest, so whether it’s more “user friendly” or not, there is definitely more interest in winter.
After season 1 focusing only on Roanoke for the snow contest, I added Blacksburg to (1) add a couple more categories to reduce the chance of a tie, (2) because so many of the entrants were New River Valley area and would probably like something closer to home to be part of it, and (3) Blacskburg’s usually earlier and larger snowfalls.
Haven’t felt the need to do that with the summer contest yet.
We got just under a half-inch of rain yesterday. Some of it came in a quick storm, but the bulk of it was light-moderate rains on the periphery of a larger storm that popped up nearby. Gave us a couple hours of a soaking rain, which was nice to see, versus a heavy frog-strangler with lots of runoff.
Nick, I didn’t get to watch any hockey…but man, the Kings are on a roll! I’m not even sure that if my Red Wings had been healthy and gotten past Nashville and then Phoenix, that they would have been able to stop that train…
I need to think of my summer picks and get them entered. I’m much less a fan of summer weather than winter weather, but I do love a good thunderstorm.
Big fat wet Low Pressure sitting
right over SWVA…enjoy the greening
droplets..afer the next 12-18 or so hours
its over for a while.
The only places in the country with significant
chances of convection are the upper plains..Dakota-s
and Minnesota..and the always wet midday spring skies
of South Fla. Ive got nothin to send you.
Grass is getting pale and matted.
Almost repeat of Tuesday, albeit an hour earlier …storm develops overhead …light, steady rain …no lightning …s-l-o-w movement
We received a total of “0.78″ inches of rain yesterday. Most of it came at one time! Have hardly seen the sun today – mostly cloudy here.
Joe, sorry to hear that it is getting brown down your way. Nice and green here.
That was a quick 0.11″ that didn’t come from nowhere. It was calfed in my back yard. Ole Gomer said it best.
Yeah, I endorse Doppler Carol’s kind words about your less-than-wonderful looking grass, Joe. There may be a big fat wet Low sitting over our region, and plenty of areas are receiving rain, but once again I am suffering from “Khan-itis.” I drove home from work about 4:20 two hours ago, and as I crossed the RR tracks and ROA River on the Peters Creek Road bridge, it was pouring!! Also on Brandon Ave. and the western end of Mud Lick Rd. But alas, got home and all I had here was a damp driveway and no puddles. Still less than 2/10ths of inch of rain in gauge, which I have not emptied this week. I am running out of chances to get at least 6 or 7 tenths of an inch of rain this week, before the weekend turns drier and hotter. But my lawn still looks superb right now.
Another day of dodging the storms in the sky. Most of the storms were scattered enough to get around and were not all that high except over the Atlantic east of NC were way up above 48000′
Got my prediction in for the contest. I’m terrible at summer stuff but my thinking is a somewhat cooler and wetter than normal summer (hint, hint, wink, wink).
What happens if you don’t check the human thingy above?
Very funny!
This has been a real blessing for us in Greene county! I guess the storm spinning off the coast has thrown back moisture into us and we have recieved some really good rain the last few days. I guess it is the moisture moving towards the mountain that we have finally gotten some rain, most of the time the moisture dies coming over the Apps and Blue Ridge. Nice treat, however sorry to say summer must begin this weekend with temps forecasted in the 90s up here! Blaughhhh! Kevin, do you know if it will be a muggy heat or a dry heat?
Will discuss weekend heat on next blog entry late tonight or early Thursday. I would call it a little muggy at this point — not super muggy nor dry.
I didn’t see the captcha box nor do I see the “human” box people are having to check, so I don’t get to share in the fun.
NOT A WEATHER COMMENT!! Remember the postal Letter Carrier Food Drive on Saturday, May 12th? We just got notified that the Roanoke area city and rural letter carriers (which I assume includes Salem and Vinton as a minimum) collected a bit over 120,000 lbs. of food. Thanks to all of you and your loved ones and neighbors who contributed.