Discussing the local impacts from Florence

Flash flooding, river flooding, and mudslides possible

ROANOKE, Va. – Florence made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Friday morning near Wrightsville Beach. Although that may seem 'weak,' the impacts for us don't change. The catastrophic impacts still will stay south of us, but we maintain our stance that heavy rain and flooding will be a threat to parts of the region.

We are still expecting our heaviest rain to be late Sunday and Monday, after a few scattered storms late Friday and Saturday. 

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This heavy, tropical rain that develops from south to north throughout the day Sunday will linger into Monday, meaning that flash flooding will be a threat for the area. That is especially the case west of the Blue Ridge Parkway, as the tropical air gets forced up the terrain.

Some mountain roads may experience mudslides and road closures, given how wet the ground has been and then will be following this rain.

Should this become an issue, you're encouraged to check out 511.virginia.org or call 511 for road updates. DO NOT call 911 for road updates. 911 is for emergencies only.

Come Monday, there may be enough spin for an isolated and brief spin-up tornado east of the Blue Ridge. That's still a threat that we're diagnosing, but we don't anticipate an outbreak.

Once the rain leaves, the impacts still stay with us. The National Weather Service in Blacksburg is anticipating major river flooding along the Dan River with moderate river flooding along the Roanoke and/or Staunton River through the middle of next week.


About the Author:

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.