More rain on the way; flood threat elevated through Friday

High wind gusts to follow

ROANOKE, Va. – A strong storm system is developing to our southwest and will throw a good chunk of rain our way Thursday afternoon and evening. A Flood Watch will go into effect 12 p.m. Thursday through 4 p.m. Friday for most of southwest and central Virginia

This Flood Watch is specifically designed for low-lying areas, as well as creeks and streams. 

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The heaviest rain we see will likely come between 4 and 8 p.m., though showers will start before then. They'll increase from south to north throughout the day. 

Most areas will wind up adding 1-2" of rain between Thursday, after 11 localities have already broken their yearly rainfall record. 2-4" of rain would produce widespread flash flooding. While that doesn't seem to be the case, we'll again have to watch low-lying areas and areas near bodies of water. 

Parts of the James, Roanoke and Dan Rivers may rise heading into the weekend. 

The heaviest rain comes in Thursday afternoon and evening, but showers will re-develop again Friday. Most coverage of rain will be west of the Blue Ridge. 

As this system passes, colder air allows snow to form in the West Virginia mountains late Friday night into Saturday morning. For the rest of us, we'll likely see some wind alerts issued by the National Weather Service late Friday into Saturday. 


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.