Whoosh! Gusty wind blows in cooler air for the rest of the week

Peak wind gusts could reach 40 mph in parts of the area Thursday afternoon

Peak wind gusts - Thursday afternoon, 4/15/2021

ROANOKE, Va. – Following Wednesday’s little bit of rain, we’re turning a page toward cooler days. That starts Thursday afternoon with temperatures peaking 10-15° below what they did Wednesday afternoon.

Highs will be in the 50s in the New River Valley and Highlands and 60s elsewhere.

Recommended Videos



High temperature forecast for Thursday, 4/15/2021

As we go through the day, the wind will pick up behind our departed storm system. Expect sustained speeds of 10-20 mph with gusts ranging between 25 and 40 mph from time to time.

Today's wind speed and wind gust forecast - 4/15/2021

This likely won’t cause damage, but it will be noticeable.

The breeze continues a bit at night, which should prevent a widespread frost from occurring. Only patchy frost will happen in areas where the wind calms the most.

We’ll keep it gusty at times Friday afternoon, with afternoon temperatures creeping up by only a couple degrees compared to Thursday. In fact, we may see some snow on the west-facing slopes of West Virginia.

What we're tracking - Friday 4/16/2021

Speaking of snow, two separate areas of low pressure will bring quite a bit of snow to the Rockies and to parts of Upstate New York and New England.

Weekend snowstorms in the Rockies and New England

The one that dumps snow on the Rockies will bring us the chance for a few light rain showers later in the day Saturday, but we’ll be far too warm for anything wintry.

What we're tracking - Saturday, 4/17/2021

High temperatures each afternoon this weekend will be in the 50s and 60s.

Weekend forecast for 4/16 to 4/18/2021

Saturday morning’s lows will range from 36-42° with patches of frost. We’ll all awaken to low to mid 40s Sunday morning.


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.