ROANOKE, Va. – Tropical Storm Elsa is poised to make its second landfall Wednesday morning. This time, it’s going to be on the Gulf Coast of Florida, which has already taken a beating from heavy rain, strong gusts and storm surge.
Our weather Wednesday is pretty status quo. High-level cirrus clouds will increase north of the storm, but temperatures will still rise into the 80s and 90s. Expect a few mountain downpours during the heat of the day.
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Otherwise, it’s not until Thursday that we really feel the effect of Elsa. The storm is trending a little farther to the west, which means that more of the area will see rain associated with it.
Outer bands will begin to move from south to north throughout the morning Thursday. Some of these could drop pockets of heavy rain.
Elsa’s center will make a close pass during the early afternoon hours, bringing tropical rain and perhaps some gusts of 30 mph or higher to areas east of the Parkway (especially Southside). Other areas like the New River Valley and Highlands will just see some scattered showers.
By suppertime, most of Elsa’s rain will be east of the area and moving away.
Rain totals will be highest in Southside, where we could see 1-3″ of rain. Totals gradually decrease the farther west that you go. It would take 3-5″ of rain in a 3-6 hour time frame, but localized flooding will still be a possibility.
Beyond Thursday, it’s business as usual. Highs will be around 85-90° Friday through Tuesday with the daily shot for hit-or-miss afternoon thunderstorms.