ROANOKE, Va. – As we've said for days now, the exact track of Florence and where it stalls will have an impact on just what we see here in southwest and central Virginia. Our job is to let you know of potential impacts and then update you with changes along the way.
The high pressure we've spoken so often about is having a profound impact on Florence, directing it towards the Carolina coastline and then forcing it to stall/meander. That's what's shown in the map below.
As forecast data continues to show it meandering southward this weekend, that means that we won't see much impact other than a few showers and gusty winds Friday and Saturday. 30-40 mph wind gusts will be possible those days mainly south of 460. We deal with that fairly often during the winter.
This also delays the beginning of any more widespread rain until later Sunday through Tuesday. This is probably when we see the most rainfall and potential for localized flash flooding.
Be sure to keep checking back for updates on the forecast here locally. It's one of the more complicated forecasts we've dealt with, but we are committed to being as accurate as possible.