Summer no longer socially distant from our area this weekend

Temps reach the 80s for many of us through the weekend, before turning cooler and wetter next week.

Temps reach the 80s Friday afternoon

ROANOKE, Va. – The first half of May’s temperatures have been more “typical” of early-to-mid May in Minneapolis, Minnesota. That all changed Thursday and will continue to change into the weekend.

A west wind Friday coming down the mountains will keep things dry and warm, meaning highs in the 80s with little to no chance of us getting wet in the afternoon. Humidity levels begin to rise this weekend, as the wind comes more out of the south.

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Dew point scale through the weekend

With a front nearby, we’ll see the chance for scattered showers and storms Saturday after about 2 p.m.

FutureTracker - 5 p.m. Friday

While that’s going on, our first named storm of the Atlantic tropical season may be getting underway. The National Hurricane Center has given it a 80% chance of becoming a tropical or subtropical system, at which point it would be named ‘Arthur.’

Chances of tropical development this weekend

This won’t be of any concern for us, but it will increase surf and the rip current risk along the Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina coastlines. Instead, we’ll be tracking a cold front and associated area of low pressure that will just sit over the eastern U.S. for days at a time next week.

These “upper level lows” are very tricky to time out. So, expect our forecast to change a little bit for Tuesday-Thursday of next week, depending on exactly where this low is positioned. Just know that it leaves us not as warm as this weekend and wetter at times.

Upper Level Pattern - middle of next week

It’s likely that this gets shoved out to sea later next week into Memorial Day weekend. At that point, a weak area of high pressure takes its place and leaves things hotter (in the 80s most likely) for Memorial Day weekend.

Upper Level Pattern - Memorial Day Weekend

Stay with us for updates, as the forecast is subject to change next week. Download our app, so you can keep an eye on any scattered storms that develop this 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.