Temperatures in the 40s/50s in August? What is going on?

An interesting pattern has settled in and is bringing some chilly air in the peak of Summer

ROANOKE, Va. – Really cool and dry air is entering the region from the north. High pressure at the surface is bringing in mostly sunny skies.

Headlines for the rest of the week

The reason for this? Well, we’ve got an interesting setup at the mid and upper levels. An omega block! Low pressure along the coasts is driving in airmasses from way up north in Canada. High pressure in the middle of the country is pumping in heat and humidity from the south. It is not too often we see this pattern, but when it arrives it stays for a couple of days.

Omega Block

Have a look at our high temperatures this afternoon! Some areas in the New River Valley will struggle to get into the 70s...! Most areas get into the mid-upper 70s.

Today

Winds will be down just a touch on Wednesday, but some gusts will be noticeable at times.

A little calmer than yesterday

The air? It’s dry! Dewpoint temperatures will be in the 40s for most of the day. This means the humidity is down big time.

Dry Air

As the omega block breaks down over the next couple of days, our regular Summer pattern looks to return. By the weekend, we are back into the mid-80s.

Warming up later in the week

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About the Author
Parker Beasley headshot

Parker was born and raised in central Florida. He first became interested in the weather at a young age when Hurricane Charlie passed directly over his house on August 13th, 2004. Since that day, he knew he wanted to be a Meteorologist.