ROANOKE, Va. – Severe storms kept our weather busy on Thursday and Friday. We still have some storms this afternoon, but the main threat comes from floods as rain arrives in the afternoon.
A Flood Watch is in effect until late Saturday night. Most of our counties are in the watch with the NRV most likely to experience flooding.
Showers hold off until the mid-afternoon. The system takes time to develop so if you need to get outdoors you have some time.
By 6:00 PM downpours and storms build up. The storms are still very isolated at this point, but after sunset the rain comes more consistently.
In the evening showers and storms arrive in the NRV. Many of us stay rather dry, but the spots where heavy rain arrives could easily develop flooding in low-lying areas.
After 9:00 PM the frequency of storms drops. We stay calm for most of the night with light rain totals.
Wind gusts and hail were the main threats for the last few days. Wind is still there, but flooding replaces hail as the next most common threat on Saturday.
Rain totals are technically highest north of us for the weekend, but totals can easily build in the NRV and Highlands. It takes until Monday for us to dry out.
The dry weather at the start of the week let the (often needed) rain sink into the ground on Thursday. Our flood risk is higher for today since the rain has been consistent in the last 48 hours.