ROANOKE, Va. – Happy Sunday! A couple of chilly days following our recent snow storm have kept the white stuff around for many of us.
I’m still seeing snow on lawns and rooftops near my apartment in Roanoke and that’s probably the case for many in the New River Valley and Highlands too.
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Part of the reason it hasn’t melted? Albedo, also known as reflectivity of the sun’s rays. Darker surfaces like roads and grass absorb light, while snow reflects it.
The snow pack has actually helped keep us colder the past couple of days, despite the sunshine.
A southeast wind should aid a warm-up today and help counteract this albedo effect. While we won’t necessarily get rid of all of the snow, I think a lot of it could melt today as highs reach the 40s to near 50 around the area.
Here’s a random sampling of high temperature forecasts from our five zones. If you want to see your town on Virginia Today on weekends, send me an email or hit me up on social media.
We could have somewhat of a downsloping set-up Monday with a west wind warming many of us to the low 50s. You can also expect extra clouds, but no precipitation as a weak front passes through.
We’ll cool down behind that front for Tuesday and Wednesday. Look for highs in the 40s both days.
Our big weather maker of the week comes as we’re flipping the calendar to 2021. We have expanded the chance for rain to Thursday and Friday.
Early forecasts bring the heaviest rain in on New Year’s Day, although there will be off-and-on showers Thursday, too.
My early call is for 1-3″ for many of us, although there could be some isolated higher amounts. This would likely lead to flooding concerns, especially Friday.
Stay tuned to future updates for better details on what could be an impactful system in our corner of the Commonwealth.