Monday Morning Update
A Weather Authority Alert Day continues into Monday, due to powerful wind gusts at times. These gusts will be capable of knocking down limbs and/or knocking out power. This kind of damage won’t be widespread, but it’s still worth our attention.
In addition to the wind, scattered bursts of snow will pour over the mountains during the late afternoon, evening and nighttime hours. While accumulation is mostly confined to our west-facing slopes, some streaky and light accumulation will be possible in parts of the New River Valley and Highlands.
The wind continues to gust from 30 to 45 mph into Monday night and Tuesday morning, leading to bitter wind chills early on. Wind chills bottom out in the single digits and teens Tuesday morning.
The wind will let up by Wednesday morning, at which point temperatures drop to about 18 to 24 degrees.
Sunday Afternoon Update
See an update from Meteorologist Marshall Downing below.
Rain has been steady through Sunday, and the rain continues for most until midnight. Our highest accumulations stay in Southside.
After midnight most of us dry out. Rain showers are unlikely on Monday, but the moisture available in the mountains leads to snow as cold air comes in from the northwest.
That snow, while generally light, continues to fall through much of the day. It takes until Monday evening for the snow to let up on our western slopes.
Most of us see between half an inch and 1.5 inches of rain. Snow is most likely where we have our lightest accumulations. The flood potential still exists particularly in our counties furthest to the southeast.
Behind the rain wind gusts climb high. Before sunrise we have some gusts to 40 mph. With high winds possible through the day some of our most intense gusts could reach 60 mph.
Winds are still strong into the mid-afternoon. It takes until Tuesday afternoon for winds to return to average.
A High Wind Warning extends from Roanoke to the southwest. These counties are where gusts are likely to be highest, but counties in the Wind Advisory could get enough wind to break branches or cause outages.
Snow fall stays concentrated on northern slopes. That allows it to reach more than an inch in some spots. When paired with high winds that could mean reduced visibility.
The western slopes stay in a Winter Storm Warning through Monday with a Winter Weather Advisory in Grayson County. Snow stays further north than it did with our last system, but it’s still hard to spend time outdoors.
Sunday Morning Update
Rain is starting to move in from the south and west this morning. Showers continue through the morning and become heavier in the afternoon. Below is a look at this evening showing some of the heaviest rain we see.
Rain totals could start to add up over the course of the day, and could lead to some localized flooding. In fact, most of the mid-Atlantic could see flooding today as lots of moisture is moving in from a storm system that developed in the Gulf of Mexico.
Local rainfall totals could near 3 inches in some spots. While other areas won’t see high amounts, any rainfall will help bring relief to the current drought. Try and stay dry out there today!
After the bulk of the rain moves through, winds will pick up. Tonight’s winds will be moving in from the north, and then eventually shift to be out of the west. That is when they turn gusty.
The timing of the wind shift is around midnight tonight. Gusty winds near 40mph ramp up and stick around through Monday and last into Tuesday.
Tomorrow morning will bring cold air as it funnels in from the north and west. Due to some left over moisture and lake effect, we will have the potential to see snow showers move into view, but mostly for the western slopes. A couple of flurries could make it over the mountains, but no accumulation is expected east of the mountains at this time.
As mentioned before, winds pick up tonight and remain gusty until at least Tuesday.
To sum things up, you’ll need the rain jacket and umbrella through the day. Heavy rain moves in around sunset, and then winds pick up for a couple of days as cold air moves in.
Saturday Afternoon Update
Our Alert Day continues through Monday due to high winds and some lasting snow showers on western slopes. Showers start early on Sunday and continue through the day and into the night. Rain changes to snow overnight on western slopes with some lingering showers further east.
Rain totals can reach above an inch across the region, but the best chance for high rain totals is in Southside and Lynchburg. This rain comes after another recent heavy rain keeping flooding a possibility late on Sunday. Accumulation is lighter further west, but half an inch is possible in most spots west of I-81.
Wind gusts pick up during the rain, but they increase noticeably as rain starts to ease off. Gusts between 30 and 40 mph are likely on Monday. That wind could blow away trash cans or damage holiday decorations so be sure to bring anything at risk inside as soon as you can.
Snow is more limited with this system than the last when it comes to coverage, but buildup on our western slopes can stack up to a few inches. With gusty winds visibility could be decreased on Monday.
Saturday Morning Update
A powerful nor’easter will be developing along the east coast and will bring rain, wind gusts, and isolated snow.
Weekend rain totals along the east coast look worrying. There is potential to see severe weather along the southeast up to the mid-Atlantic through the end of the weekend. This threat will bring heavy rainfall and gusty winds at times.
The Weather Prediction Center has indicated we are under a flood risk for Sunday. Isolated heavy pockets of rain could lead to localized flooding across our region tomorrow. The highest threat is along Southside and areas east of Lynchburg.
Here is how much rain we could see during the back half of the weekend. Estimates upwards of 1 inch of rain in most areas. The timing of the rain goes as follows; Light showers Sunday morning, heavier showers move in during Sunday afternoon and overnight, and light showers through Monday morning.
Tomorrow afternoon will feature some windy conditions, especially in some of the heavy rain showers that move through. After all the rain moves out on Monday, winds will be whipping around from the northwest. Gusty conditions stick around for Tuesday too…
Friday Evening Update
A Weather Authority Alert Day will be in effect Sunday, and Chief Meteorologist Jeff Haniewich is letting you know how much rain will fall, and how strong it will be.
Friday Afternoon Update
The rest of Friday and through Saturday our weather stays calm, but Sunday brings heavy rain that can cause localized flooding and wind that could damage decorations or cause outages.
Shower begin moving in from both south and west in the early hours of Sunday. Showers are light as day breaks, but consistent clouds mean we don’t get to see much of that sunrise.
Consistent rain falls through Sunday afternoon with some pockets of higher rainfall rates. While you might be able to get outdoors early on it’s safer to stay inside as the hour gets later.
Rainfall gets even heavier in some of our eastern counties as the low pressure center gets closer. Rain continues through the night with some showers early on Monday. Showers only last a few hours past sunrise, but the accompanying wind lasts longer into the day.
Rain totals this Sunday are shaping up similarly to last Sunday. Most of us stay between one and two inches with some scattered counties seeing more than two inches. The heaviest rain from this system looks to fall through the Carolinas.
This rain is certainly helpful after the dry months in the second half of this year, but with some recent heavy rain the flood risk is higher. We are in a Level 2 risk for flooding on Sunday with the greatest chances closer to the Atlantic coast.
Wind gusts between 30 and 40 mph arrive late on Sunday and linger into Monday afternoon. That wind could cause problems for holiday decorations or take away your trash can. Use Saturday’s calm weather to prepare for the high winds. Calmer weather by Tuesday gives you a chance to take everything back outside.
Friday Morning Update
We’re now at the point where we’re getting hour-by-hour data in for Sunday’s Weather Authority Alert Day.
Sunday morning will start with areas of light rain, but the wind won’t be very strong.
By the afternoon, the rain may pick up in intensity a little bit, and the wind will get breezy. Still, at about 1 or 2 p.m., we don’t expect damage or outages.
Come Sunday evening, the rain will be at its heaviest. This heavy rain rising up the terrain could cause localized flooding issues.
It’s Sunday night and Monday when the wind becomes its strongest. Peak gusts between 30 and 50 mph could wind up causing power outages.
That wind will blow in colder air Monday afternoon and evening, leading to west-slope snow accumulation.
Any snow showers in the NRV, Roanoke Valley or Highlands will be scattered Monday into Monday night.
Thursday Night Update
Another system headed our way brings heavy rain early next week with most rain falling on Sunday and some lingering into Monday. Flooding chances are higher with this system than they were last weekend, but with warmer temperatures snowfall is less likely.
We stay dry through Friday and Saturday. The sunshine on each of these days helps temperatures climb into the low-to-mid 50s. Low-pressure systems join together south of us to bring moisture from the Gulf of Mexico inland as well as bringing Atlantic moisture onshore.
Sunday brings most of the rain through. Light showers can start late on Saturday, but rain earlier than that (like in our last system) is unlikely.
Rain continues through Sunday night into Monday. With colder air in higher elevations, some snow is possible but it will not reach as far south or east as it did last weekend.
We dry out late on Monday with cooler air coming in. That limits highs on Tuesday to the 30s and 40s. Thanks to high wind gusts behind the front expect it to feel quite a bit cooler.
Rain totals from this system are similar to what we had last weekend. Most of us see between one and two inches with the highest accumulations east of I-81.
Since there is more moisture already in the environment and the rain falls in a shorter time frame flooding is more likely with this system. Avoid driving on Sunday if you can; conditions are much better by Monday afternoon.
Winds rise as the system arrives and stay gusty into the week. Some gusts get above 30 mph so be sure to secure any Christmas decorations on Saturday.
Dry weather on Tuesday continues through the end of the week, and right now conditions are unlikely for heavy rain or snow as we get closer to Christmas.
Check out this article and video to see how much snow we can expect this winter.
Source: WSLS News 10