ROANOKE, Va. – 10 p.m. Thursday update:
This Weather Authority Alert Day has been cleared.
Thursday Afternoon Update
Severe-warned storms are now pushing through southwest Virginia and moving into the Lynchburg and Southside Zones. Storms are moving about 50MPH and bringing up to 1in. hail and winds gusting up to 70MPH.
Showers and storms will continue into the early evening, before tapering off around 8 PM tonight. The severe thunderstorm watch will likely be cancelled at this time.
Behind this strong cold front, the air will quickly dry, and low temperatures tonight will drop into the lower 60s, the coolest temperatures we have seen in a while!
Thursday Morning update - 8 a.m.
Meteorologist Parker Beasley provided a live update on when Thursday’s severe storms will roll through our area and the top threats to watch out for. If you missed it, you can watch it below:
Thursday Morning Update - 6 a.m.
The risk for severe weather has been upgraded for areas to our north and east. A level 2/5 slight risk is still in place for Southwest Virginia.
Isolated strong to severe storms are likely to develop across the mid-Atlantic today.
Showers and storms begin to push in around 11:00am with some single cell storms leading the charge.
These cells will have to be monitored closely as they will have the ability to use up a lot of the available energy ahead of the main line of rain.
Once these showers and storms move in, they will be racing across Southwest and Central Virginia. By 12:00pm they will be impacting areas around Lexington, Lynchburg and Southside.
Isolated showers and storms will continue to funnel in through the rest of the afternoon and evening. A few heavy pockets of rain paired with stronger storms are possible, but conditions slowly begin to dry out during the evening hours.
This week has brought over half a foot of rain for some, and has lead to saturated grounds. Additional rainfall in flood prone and saturated areas could lead to flash flooding.
Wednesday Evening Update
Showers and storms tomorrow will bring the threat of gusty winds, heavy rain, and flooding. Due to the amount of rain that blanketed the area this past weekend, our soil is very saturated, and additional rain will bring flooding concerns to the region.
Nearly the entire state of Virginia is in a slight risk (2/5) for severe weather tomorrow.
The greatest threat tomorrow is flooding, next to gusty winds and hail. The tornado threat is very low, but not zero, so we will have to keep an eye out for rotating storms.
With this line of showers and storms, we will add a quarter to a half inch of rainfall on average across southwest Virginia. This amount of rain falling on already saturated soil will bring a significant flooding risk.
Wednesday Morning Update
Showers and storms will push in along a potent front that will bring the potential for severe weather across Southwest Virginia.
At the moment, the current severe risk is a level 2/5 (slight). Isolated severe storms are likely to develop within the region.
We could see rain as early as 12 p.m. Thursday, with storms developing shortly after noon. Here is a look at 3 p.m., where heavy pockets of rain, small hail, and gusty winds are possible.
Storms begin to fizzle out in the late afternoon and early evening. However, a few will still be packing a punch
Localized flash flooding continues to be the highest threat as many localities have seen close to half a foot of rain this week. Any additional rainfall could result in flash flooding.
Small hail and gusty winds are also possible in some of the stronger storms, and while the tornado threat is low, it is non-zero.
We are tracking this front Wednesday as the severe weather threat is in place for those to our west. It is important we monitor this system before it gets to us, because it will give an indication for how the system is performing.
Again, the threat shifts east for Thursday and includes much of the East Coast. Storms will develop around the middle of the day and fizzle out through the evening.
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