Strong cold front to bring more rain, large drop in temperatures

We’re colder Wednesday with heavier rain Thursday. That comes before an even bigger cool-down.

Large drop in temperatures into the weekend

ROANOKE, Va. – Through the first 11 days, February 2020 has been one of the wettest on record for a lot of us. That’s not about to stop either.

High pressure near the Delmarva Peninsula will wedge in some dense cloud cover Wednesday. As warm, moist air moves over that wedge of colder air at the surface, light rain and drizzle will develop late in the afternoon into the evening.

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FutureTracker - 5 p.m. 02/12/2020

Be alert to areas of dense fog near the Blue Ridge Wednesday evening into the overnight.

Come Thursday morning, a cold front will approach from the west. This will trigger a line of heavier rain that will likely impact our area during commute time.

FutureTracker - 8 a.m. 2/13/2020

The bulk of any severe/damaging weather will likely stay to our south. After this front passes through, however, the wind will start to pick up. This will help warm things up into the upper 50s and lower 60s Thursday.

Wind speed, direction and gusts for 2/13/2020

Gusty wind and a saturated soil may get you thinking about possible power outages. At the moment, that threat seems to be pretty sporadic/isolated in nature.

Power outage meter - 2/13 to 2/14/2020

The main story beyond Thursday afternoon will be the cool-down. Highs Valentine’s Day will be in the upper 30s and low to mid 40s, with lows by Saturday morning in the teens and lower 20s.


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.