Heat index soars before scattered storms develop

Another scorcher with hit and miss storms Wednesday afternoon

ROANOKE, Va. – In case you haven't noticed it yet, the humidity is here (and it's not going anywhere). The combination of daytime heat and this humidity will make it feel very hot at times Wednesday afternoon. 

Our chance of briefly cooling down comes in the form of scattered showers and storms mainly after 1 or 2 p.m. After sunset, that chance fizzles out.

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As we noticed Tuesday afternoon, any storm that does develop can pack a punch (given the heat and humidity it's feeding off of).

Hail and high winds can develop in a couple of storms area-wide, whereas lightning is likely. The threat for flooding is localized.

Simply put, we're drinking out of the Atlantic with storms moving slowly the next few days. It would take 1-3" of rain within one hour for flash flooding to occur. A storm or two may be capable of dropping that much in a short timeframe these next few days.

It's best to be weather aware, between the Salem Fair and the 4th of July holiday. Make sure you have the StormTeam 10 app, as you're out and about.

Overall, the best chance of storms each day comes after lunchtime. However, a few can linger into the nighttime hours. The best chance of nighttime storms on the 4th appears to be east of the Blue Ridge Parkway.


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.