ROANOKE, Va. – For areas like Roanoke, we are on a 9-day streak of 90°+ heat. That streak continues into Friday, as high temperatures reach the upper 80s and lower 90s around much of the area. Combine that heat with the humidity, and it will feel hotter than that at times.
Meanwhile, a disturbance to our west will begin to trigger some scattered showers and thunderstorms after about 2 or 3 p.m. Given how hot and humid it is, anything that pops could become quite strong and contain a lot of lightning.
Scattered storms linger through dinner time, with a few even possible near Lynchburg and Southside after sunset.
This is the best opportunity we’ll have all week, so hopefully your lawn and/or garden can get a good drink in!
This has nothing to do with Tropical Storm Fay, which formed off the North Carolina coast Thursday afternoon. This will continue to ride up the East Coast throughout the weekend, with no impact on us.
Our weekend looks to be in good shape, with highs each day around 86-92°. In fact, humidity levels drop off a bit by Saturday afternoon! A few evening or nighttime storms will be possible Sunday.
After that, the heat is likely going to be the big story. If an area of high pressure to our west can drift east without interruption, we’ll get even hotter by the middle to later part of next week.
It could be in the middle to maybe even upper 90s in a few spots by next Wednesday. Stay tuned as we continue to fine tune the exact details on that part of the forecast these next few days.