ROANOKE, Va. – Nicole - as of early Friday morning - is a tropical depression located just to our south. That does not change any of the expected impacts to our area.
Let’s break it down in detail below.
Timing
Nicole’s outer bands of rain have already arrived in parts of the area. These will continue to shift northward through the morning commute, making for a less-than-ideal drive into work Friday morning.
Late morning into the afternoon, there will be some breaks in the widespread activity. Unfortunately, this allows the atmosphere to warm up.
Any storm that develops in that warmer air will have the chance to a) produce localized wind damage or b) rotate. This window of opportunity exists between roughly 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
After that time, Nicole’s remnants merge with a front. That increased energy in the atmosphere results in widespread rain between roughly 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph will be possible during this time, and that could lead to a few sporadic power outages.
Totals and Severe Weather Threat
Including what you’ve seen already, rain totals will mostly be on the order of 1 to 3 inches. There will be some spots - especially along the spine of the Blue Ridge Parkway - that see higher totals and a localized flood threat.
As mentioned in the previous section of this article, a few damaging/rotating thunderstorms will be possible between roughly 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday.
That threat is slightly higher for areas shaded in yellow in the map below.
This is where we’re expected to be warmer Friday afternoon, as high temperatures reach into the low to mid 70s.
Download our app to make sure you get any warnings that are issued.
The Forecast Beyond Nicole
Beyond Nicole, we turn breezy at times. However, we’ll stay relatively mild Saturday.
It’s expected that we stay mostly dry for the Veterans Day Parade in downtown Roanoke. A few showers will be possible by late afternoon and evening.
Colder air catches up to us late Saturday night into Sunday. Despite sunshine, highs Sunday will mostly reach the 40s before falling into the 20s Monday morning.
We’ll track another storm system next Tuesday.
With a cold airmass already in place, it’s possible that we see patches of a wintry mix early on.
However, it’s more likely that we’re left with a chilly rain during the afternoon and evening.
We’ll stay unseasonably cold for the rest of next week.