Kevin Myatt is The Roanoke Times' weather columnist.

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• We got graupel, but not on official record
• Moisture could get caught up in cold blast
• Forecast for Weather Journal: Partly print, with frequent Internet
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• Sprinkles or flurries possible Tuesday, but maybe something bigger for the weekend?
• For now, it looks like a quiet, mostly mild week ahead for SW Virginia
• Coldest morning of winter so far likely across much of Southwest Virginia; Tuesday precipitation looking doubtful
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Our potential heat wave this week is getting squeezed from three directions.

First, a weak front and upper-level disturbance moved through Saturday. The showers and storms it brought, followed by an infusion of dry air on northwest winds, staved off extreme heat for at least one day.

Second, a new dip in the jet stream into the Great Lakes at midweek will likely push a cold front south. This will probably keep any extreme heat from going past Wednesday, and it may even turn cooler than normal by next weekend.

Third is the tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico. Its path is likely to be westward, away from us, so there may not be any direct effects, but its indirect effects could change the overall weather pattern.

So, as of now, it looks like we're left with a three-day period of above-normal, though not record-breaking, heat. Highs today through Wednesday may reach the low to mid 90s in much of Southwest Virginia, with Tuesday looking to be the hottest, possibly making a push toward 100.

The second half of the week looks to be more like what most of our summer has been -- warm and sticky, but not terribly hot, with scattered thunderstorms.

This month has a long way to go to challenge last year's scorching August. I don't think it has what it takes.