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.

Snow lovers, perhaps today could be the day you've been waiting for

Spotty snow has been the hallmark of the 2008-09 winter.

Some of you in Southwest Virginia have seen a reasonable amount of snow this winter, though not a ton, from a series of small events in late November and early December, and during the past three weeks. And some of you got a few inches Monday night, while others got no accumulation at all.

Many more of you have seen a little bit here and there, but nothing topping an inch yet. My location in Southwest Roanoke County would be in this category.

A few of you still really haven't had any accumulating snow, or maybe just a dusting or two. Most of the floor of the Roanoke Valley is in this category.

Unless, that is, the overnight snow potential came through. A disturbance moving out of Kentucky held the promise of widespread light to moderate snow in the area overnight and early this morning, possibly an inch or 2 even in Roanoke. You'll have to look outside to determine if that happened for you.

Today will be cold with continued snow showers and flurries, especially in the New River Valley and points west. Snow will continue to stack up, with 2 to 6 inches expected in the New River Valley, and maybe as much as 12 inches in the higher elevations of eastern West Virginia.

Highs today won't top 30 in most places, and lows tonight will be mainly in the teens with wind chill below zero.

But it could be 60 by Saturday.