First meteor shower of the year peaks this weekend

Clouds and showers around the area will make it basically impossible to view during peak hours

ROANOKE, Va. – The Quadrantids meteor shower peaks overnight Friday into early Saturday morning. Your Local Weather Authority’s contact for all things space, Tony Rice, said that no more than 25 meteors per hour would be seen this year.

Peak time will be after moonset, from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday. Unfortunately, that’s also a time when we’ll be pretty overcast with some rain showers around.

Quadrantids timing, amount and conditions

It’s really a shame, as NASA says that this meteor shower is known more for bright fireballs. If you do find yourself in a cloud-free region, mainly well west of us, make sure to remove yourself from city lights. NASA also says to lie flat on your back with your feet facing northeast. You’ll want to bundle up, as things will be turning much colder west of here.

Eventually, that colder air gets to us late Saturday into Sunday.


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.