Fall breeze Wednesday turns to sweater weather later this week

A reinforcing shot of fall air sends us into the 50s and 60s during the day Friday through Sunday

Upper level air pattern through the first few days of October

ROANOKE, Va. – Following another round of heavy rain Tuesday, the air is cleaned out of any mugginess. Temperatures Wednesday morning are running roughly 10-20° lower than they were just 24 hours ago.

By the afternoon, though, we’ll recover nicely under a partly cloudy sky. Highs will be in the 60s in the New River Valley and Highlands. We’ll manage to reach the lower 70s elsewhere.

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Wednesday's forecast high temperatures

It will be breezy in the wake of Tuesday’s cold front, but not so strong that all the leaves fall off the trees. In fact, it may even be a nice afternoon to fly a kite with the kids. We’re all looking for something fun to do nowadays!

Wednesday's kite outlook

Our next cold front arrives late Thursday, but this one doesn’t have nearly the amount of moisture that Tuesday’s did. Instead, we’ll see clouds increase later in the day with a few showers at night along and east of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

What we're tracking the rest of the week

Behind the front, we get a reinforcing shot of cold air courtesy of Canada. As the jet stream drops, Canadian air dips down into the eastern U.S. This will leave high temperatures in the 50s in the New River Valley and parts of the Highlands and in the 60s elsewhere.

Autumn air arrives Friday through the weekend from Canada

Morning temperatures this weekend will start in the 30s and 40s. This is exactly the weather we need for the leaves to start popping even more. Less daylight slows down photosynthesis, with the cooler weather helping to break down chlorophyll (what gives the leaves their green color).

Foliage checklist through the first few days of October

If you wind up getting any pictures of the foliage, send them to us via Pin It.


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.