Sliver of Canadian air keeps autumn locked in for the weekend

Looks like the perfect weekend to enjoy some of the local fall festivals

Piece of Canadian air breaks off to cool things down this weekend

ROANOKE, Va. – This time last year, we were breaking record high temperatures. Temperatures were in the 90s, and we were still lounging by the pool. Fast forward to 2020, and autumn is actually behaving like autumn.

A front moved through Friday morning. Behind that, it will be about 10° cooler than Thursday afternoon. Highs for many will only reach into the 60s, thanks to a cool breeze out of the northwest.

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Forecast high temperatures for Friday, 10/2/2020

A clear sky at night and a calming wind will allow the limited warmth to escape, leading to a colder night ahead.

Radiational cooling takes place Friday night into Saturday morning

The clear sky will also give us a clear view of the full Harvest Moon with Mars cozying up right next to it in the eastern sky.

The full moon and Mars will appear close to each other in the eastern sky on Friday night

Some parts of the New River Valley could wake up to patches of frost Saturday morning, while other parts of the area start out chilly in the low to mid 40s.

Forecast low temperatures for Saturday, 10/3/2020

This sets us up with a beautiful Saturday for all the fall festivals going on across the area. Not included in the graphic below are Jeter Farm, Layman Farms, Williams Orchard, Johnson’s Orchard and so many more.

Forecast for fall festivities - Saturday around Noon

If this kind of weather isn’t your cup of tea, you’re in luck. The jet stream begins to lift back to the north next week. By Wednesday, high temperatures will likely be around 75-80°.

Upper level air pattern for mid to late next week

What goes up must come back down, so expect another cool down later next week.


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.

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