Another wet weekend; localized flooding possible

1-3" of rain is possible this Mother's Day weekend

ROANOKE, Va. – We've seen at least a trace of rain on 83% of weekends so far in 2019. That's the case in both the Roanoke Valley and New River Valley. We'll only add to that this Mother's Day weekend.

While it won't rain all 48 hours this weekend, we will see multiple waves of rain moving through. In the morning, most of what we see should be light and scattered. As each day progresses, showers will likely become more numerous.

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Over the course of the weekend, it's likely that we'll see an inch or more of rain. In order for flash flooding to occur, 2-4" of rain would be needed within a 24 hour span. 

So the threat for localized flooding is there. Many streams and creeks will rise, but so far - no rivers are forecast to go into flood stage.

This is all thanks to a front that just wants to camp out near the region. It will provide a focal point for a few waves of rain to ride into the area both Saturday and Sunday. 

The exact location of that front, however, will determine our Mother's Day weather. The farther south the front sags, the cooler we'll be with less of a severe storm threat. However, if the front shifts north, we'll be warmer with perhaps a severe storm or two south of 460.

At the moment, we're leaning toward the cooler solution. That would still mean some rain and localized flooding, but would reduce the threat for any rotating storms or high wind gusts. 

Stay with StormTeam 10 for updates throughout the holiday weekend.


About the Author:

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.