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Weather Authority Alert Days issued for Jan. 22

Dangerously cold temperatures take hold of the region

ROANOKE, Va.Wednesday Morning Update

Cold weather alerts remain in place until lunch hour on Wednesday. Temperatures will remain in the single digits for several hours before slightly warming up in the afternoon.

Until 12:00pm today

Here is a look at wind chill at noon. The real feel will be in the 10s for most with areas across Southside and Lynchburg feeling closer to 20°.

Noon Today

The setup for the day brings an area of high pressure very close to the region, which brings mostly clear skies for the day. The area of low pressure to our north will continue to funnel in cold air from the north.

This Afternoon

If you hadn’t seen, a really impressive and historical winter storm impacted the Gulf Coast and Southeast on Tuesday. Here is a look at how much snow they received. Yes, most of these spots have seen more snow than Roanoke has this winter.

This very same system is meandering off the coast of the mid-Atlantic Wednesday and will continue to bring in northerly winds that help bring in cold air to Southwest and Central Virginia.

Past 24hrs

The jet stream will stay well to the south over the next couple of days, but a couple of small details within the weather scene will bring warmer air to the region by the weekend.

Keeping South

Tuesday Morning Update

A frigid wind chill continues Tuesday with feels-like temperatures kicking off in the single digits and negative values. By 10 a.m., we will feel a little bit warmer, but it will still be cold!

This Morning

There is a winter front currently impacting the Gulf Coast and Southeast. This strong area of low pressure will bring the chance for flurries and a light dusting for most of Southside and parts of the Lynchburg area later in the day.

Later Today

The wind chill returns later Tuesday night as winds begin to peak around 20-30 mph. Please keep warm and dress appropriately if you will be outside for a prolonged amount of time.

Tonight

Here is a look at the system impacting the Gulf Coast and Southeast. Once this system passes the mid-Atlantic, our winds will increase quite a bit and more cold air will funnel into Southwest and Central Virginia.

Big Time Winter Front

Here is something you don’t see every day: snow odds are 100% well to our south! We miss out on the impactful snow this time around.

Gulf Coast

Monday: 7 p.m. Update

Monday: Noon Update

This morning featured some brutally cold wind chill temperatures, and we expect the next two mornings to be just as cold.

This Morning

The overall setup continues to funnel cold air into the region thanks to a strong area of low pressure just to our west.

Mid-Week

This is keeping temperatures well below average, and keeping winds uncomfortable. Here is a look at tomorrow morning’s wind chill.

Tomorrow Morning

Tomorrow features lesser winds, but there will still be stray gusts in excess of 10mph.

Hourly

The chill continues through Tuesday, but returns in a big way overnight.

Tomorrow night

Wednesday morning will likely be the coldest feeling morning for some this week as frigid air pushes further east into Southside and Lynchburg.

Wednesday Morning

Monday Morning Update

Not much has changed in terms of forecasts with this bitterly cold air, with temperatures maxing out in the 10s and 20s over the next three days.


UPDATE: 7:00 P.M. SUNDAY:


A.M. SUNDAY UPDATE:

An arctic blast will freeze much of the country in the coming days, including our area. For that reason, we’re issuing alert days for Monday through Wednesday.

Cold Weather Alerts have been issued throughout our area as temperatures plummet into the single digits overnight Sunday into Monday. These alerts coincide with our alert day timeline, and will expire after Wednesday.

Until Thursday

MONDAY-

Wind chill is going to be a massive problem Monday, dropping into the negatives across the region. The New River Valley and Highlands regions could get as low as -20° due to the bitter cold and gusty winds. Most everywhere will experience wind chill values between -5° and 8° for most of Monday. Similar to heat index, wind chill is essentially what the air will feel like on your skin. High temperatures will range between 11° and 28º on Monday. Low temperatures will begin to approach the 0º mark through most of the area, with widespread ranges between 0º and 10°.

monday
cold

TUESDAY-

The good news about Tuesday is that winds will die down a bit, meaning wind chill won’t be as brutal. It’s still going to be dangerously cold, but just not quite at the level we’re expecting for Monday. Wind chills will be in the negatives for most of the NRV and Highlands, and in the 10s for the rest of the region.

tuesday

High temperatures will remain in the 10s and 20s throughout the region, with lows entering the negatives in parts of the NRV and Highlands. Most low temperatures will be single digits for the viewing area. You can find high temperatures for each of the 5 zones at the bottom of this article.

Cold

WEDNESDAY-

Wednesday will be nearly copy and paste from Tuesday, with widespread high temperatures in the teens. We’ll again drop into the single digits overnight as we head into Thursday, but quickly warm up throughout the day Thursday as winds shift.

Temps

This artic air blast will be EASILY be capable of giving you frostbite and hypothermia if you not are prepared. Here are some things you want to keep in mind this week.

If you need to go outside, make sure you cover as much of your body as possible.

Try to avoid going outside at all if you can.

Pets NEED to be kept indoors this week.

Drip water from faucets to prevent pipes from bursting.

Turn off water to outdoor spickets.

Check on high-risk individuals and elderly.

bitterly cold
NRV and Highlands coldest

About the Author
Edward Shaw headshot

Edward Shaw is a meteorologist with the WSLS Weather Authority Team, specializing in severe weather and climatology.