ROANOKE, Va. – We’ve had all month to get used to the one-two punch of heat and humidity. They’re back to their usual antics Tuesday, with the heat index approaching triple digits in parts of the area.
In addition to that, a weak front will be approaching from the west. This will team up with our heat and humidity to generate scattered storms after about 1 p.m. While it won’t be a severe weather outbreak, a couple strong-to-severe storms won’t be out of the question.
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Storm chances go down after sunset as we lose the heat from the day.
This same front will stall nearby, with maybe a few spotty storms around Wednesday. The best chance for storms will be south of U.S. 460. Otherwise, expect more heat and humidity around for our Hump Day!
Moisture increases, as low pressure (storm) systems ride along this stalled front later in the week. The amount of moisture around is high enough to where localized flooding will have to be monitored late Thursday and Friday.
This front lifts north, generating more scattered storms Saturday. Chances may drop just a touch Sunday, though we won’t be completely dry.
Perhaps more notable is that the front brings an end to the historic 90° streak in the Roanoke Valley. The streak will either end at 29 or 30 straight days (depending on how warm we get Thursday), blowing past the old record of 22 straight in 1966.
Meanwhile, we keep our eyes on the tropics where a storm is brewing east of the Lesser Antilles. This storm is very broad with no clear center of circulation just yet. Conditions become a little more favorable for development in the next two days. The National Hurricane Center says there’s an 80-90% chance that this storm becomes Isaias.
Where it goes beyond the Caribbean and exactly how strong it will be by then are both to-be-determined. The East Coast will need to watch this by next week, as high pressure near/east of Bermuda will guide this system toward the U.S.
There’s no need to panic, as the system hasn’t even developed yet. We’re just giving you a heads up to the range of possibilities.