Kevin Myatt

Latest entries from the Weather Journal blog

• Weather Journal taking a long break
• Yes, there's still an Atlantic tropical season going on
• Freezing temperatures likely tonight

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.

A big hot tent will envelop us

We're all going to be under a big tent full of hot air -- and no, I'm not talking about the election season.

Stagnant, hot air has been building over the south-central United States the past several days. That dome of high pressure -- the big tent, if you will -- is expanding eastward, and we'll be under it by this weekend, with temperatures topping 90 in much of Southwest Virginia.

Several days next week look like strong bets for highs in the mid 90s or higher in Roanoke.

The exact location of highs, lows and fronts will determine whether we have a three-day hot spell or a weeklong heat wave in which temperatures flirt with 100 daily.

Whether this becomes a historic heat wave or just a brief patch of sticky heat also depends on a lot of local details.

If light westerly winds develop, as often happened in last year's roasting August, the heating and drying process of hot air being compressed as it is shoved down the eastern slopes of our Appalachian ridges could push temperatures above 100 degrees.

On the flip side, any clusters of thunderstorms that form in the Ohio Valley and manage to make it across the mountains into Virginia could disrupt the heat. Even storms that die on the way can send out a cooling burst of wind.

There is a tricky trade-off between heat and humidity. The more humid it is, the worse it can feel as the heat index rises. But more humidity can also keep the temperature from rising as fast and also makes it more possible for heat-reducing clouds and storms to develop. Drier air doesn't feel as sultry, but can allow heating to occur faster.

Enough humidity will be hanging around on many days to allow some showers and thunderstorms to crop up in afternoon heating, but anything that develops won't move much, so cooling effects will be very localized.

Record highs for Roanoke are unlikely Monday and Tuesday -- the records are 103 for Aug. 4 and 105 for Aug. 5, each set in 1930. Sunday's record is 100, set in 1963 -- reachable, but doubtful. Any 100-degree high temperature would make this the first time in 20 years that Roanoke has reached triple digits on at least one day in consecutive years.

I know some people who would actually vote for 100-degree heat over snow, though, among the Weather Journal constituency, they are a fringe party.

But fall really isn't that far away now. This kind of heat will be long behind us by Election Day.