Stretch of near-90° heat likely lingers through 4th of July

Each day holds the chance of a spotty downpour or two

ROANOKE, Va. – 'Tis the season after all! Afternoon temperatures over the course of the next week will likely hover in the upper 80s and low 90s. In the map above, the wind arrows indicate the jet stream. The farther north that is, the longer the heat can linger. It's likely that this kind of heat continues into the 4th of July!

That's why we've advertised this as a possible heat wave. A heat wave constitutes as three consecutive days (or more) of 90° heat or hotter than average weather. We average four to five of those per year, so they're actually not as rare as you might think.

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It's still important to either get the outdoor chores done early, or take frequent water breaks in the heat of the day. If you're going to walk the dog, make sure to avoid the blacktop or concrete in the afternoon. Those surfaces get really hot (like 125 to 140°).

The only hope of cooling down Thursday afternoon comes in the form of a few spotty downpours (or a pool). 

As a rule of thumb, the best chance between 3 and 9 p.m. looks to be near and north of Highway 460. 

Nothing looks damaging. However, any storm that develops in this kind of pattern (with the jet stream so far north) will move slowly. 

So as any pop-up storms develop the next few days, it will likely be one of those cases where it's pouring one place and sunny five minutes down the road.

Should there be any flood threat, it will be confined to a very small area.


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.