| ROANOKE WEATHER |  |
|
 |
Current Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Temperature: 78°F Wind: From the SW at 6 mph Relative Humidity: 64% |
Extended Forecast Driving Conditions Vacation Planner Weather Alerts Air Quality |
 |
SUN Scattered Thunderstorms 66°F...82°F |
 |
MON Isolated Thunderstorms 67°F...86°F |
|
TUE Partly Cloudy 69°F...89°F |
Latest entries from the Weather Journal blog
About Kevin
Kevin Myatt grew up in Arkansas to the tune of tornado sirens and the rhythm of hailstones, aspiring to be a meteorologist before his studies and career were turned to journalism instead. Though he often chases storms, he prefers living in the cooler, more tranquil weather of the Blue Ridge. He moved to Roanoke in 1999 to take a job on the copy desk of The Roanoke Times; writing headlines and editing copy is his principal work for the newspaper today.
Each May, Kevin assists Pulaski County High School / Virginia Tech meteorology instructor Dave Carroll in leading college and high school students to the Plains to observe severe weather firsthand. The accounts of many of his storm chases can be found here on the storm chasing page of his weather blog on roanoke.com.
Kevin was an editor for "Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States," a book written by D.C.-area weather enthusiast Rick Schwartz and published by Blue Diamond Books that documents hurricanes striking the mid-Atlantic states since colonial times.
The Weather Journal column began in 2003 and appears on Friday's Virginia section front in The Roanoke Times. The Weather Journal blog began in 2006 and follows weather day-by-day between the larger columns.
System is poised to drift off
By Kevin Myatt
The Roanoke Times
Sometime today, the persistent low pressure that has controlled our weather since the weekend will finally lose its grip on the area as it moves out to sea.
It has whirled slowly from west to east across Virginia, and then more southerly, pumping a consistent fetch of Atlantic moisture into the area.
This resulted in some showers and storms Sunday, but then more patchy drizzle and light rain Monday and Tuesday, diminishing each day. This morning, a little drizzle and fog may be left over, especially along and east of the Blue Ridge.
There are no dramatic weather-makers on the horizon. A cold front is expected to pass through the area Saturday, but the precipitation with it may well follow the all too common "jump-the-gap" pattern.
Storms are likely to develop west of the Appalachians, and then re-form east of the mountains Saturday afternoon. The Roanoke and New River valleys could well be left with very little rain in that scenario.
It's still a few days out, so the details of that system could change. The overall direction of our weather for the next several days is likely to be warm but not exceptionally hot, and generally dry but not totally rainless.
Conditions and Storms
- Latest storm warnings and radar from the National Weather Service in Blacksburg
- Ski slopes -- in season, of course
- Road conditions
- Tropical storm updates - 24/7
- Chasing the Wind - On the road in Tornado Alley
