A lukewarm Pi Day before rain, patchy freezing rain Monday night

The pattern turns more active in the final week of winter

Pi Day Planner - 3/14/21

ROANOKE, Va. – Happy Pi Day! Most of us start out with a slice of sunshine before a dollop of clouds later in the day. This allows us to start chilly and warm into the 50s and 60s area-wide Sunday afternoon.

High temperature forecast for Sunday, 3/14/2021

Recommended Videos



Clouds continue to increase and thicken throughout the day Monday. The same storm system that’s given snow to the Rockies and severe weather in the Plains will weaken considerably before arriving here.

FutureTracker - Sunday morning

What that means for us is mostly rain after 7 or 8 Monday evening. Some colder air trapped in at the surface could lead to patches of freezing rain in parts of the New River Valley, the Highlands and the higher elevations of Roanoke County.

Precipitation types for Monday night, 3/15/2021

We don’t expect anything major out of this, but some spots could see a light glaze on elevated surfaces Monday night.

We’ll thaw out by St. Paddy’s Day with afternoon temperatures reaching the 60s and the possibility of late day showers.

St. Patrick's Day Planner - 2021

Another strong storm system will emerge from the Rockies. The wind around it will be strong, which could fuel some thunderstorm development late Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

Upper air pattern by Thursday, 3/18/2021

Beyond that, things will calm down for the first official weekend of spring. Spring begins Saturday morning at 5:37 a.m., but it will likely be pretty cool.

Vernal equinox happens Saturday, 3/20/2021, at 5:37 a.m.

Lows are expected to be in the 30s, and highs are expected to be in the 50s.


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.

Recommended Videos