ROANOKE, Va. – After a windy Friday with gusts between 30 and 45 miles per hour, it was so nice to get a break from the wind Saturday!
Hopefully you got a chance to enjoy the break, because the wind will pick up again today. A weak cold front is causing the stronger winds.
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When you factor in dry air and ground with the wind, we’ll likely have an increase in fire danger today. Crews are already working a wildfire in Pulaski County.
Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged, especially in the morning when the winds will be strongest.
Temperatures are running at warmer levels this morning than Saturday morning, but we’ll actually be slightly cooler this afternoon than Saturday afternoon.
We expect highs in the low to mid 50s in the New River Valley, around 60 in the Roanoke Valley and the low to mid 60s in Southside. Other peak afternoon temperatures can be seen on the map below.
Temperatures are forecast to rise as we head into the new work week, although the warm-up won’t peak until Wednesday.
At the moment, we have a dip in the jetstream which is keeping temperatures on the cool-to-mild side. Once we get a ridge by midweek, it will be quite warm by early-April standards.
The extra warmth will come with an increase in clouds and rain chances. The wettest timeframe appears to be Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning.
Rain could be heavy at times with a storm system moving in from the southwest. Here’s a projection of rain totals from the European (ECMWF) model.
More rain is likely later in the week as the pattern stays active. We’re watching Thursday as the wettest part of the late-week timeframe.