Kevin Myatt

Latest entries from the Weather Journal blog

• Weather Journal remains on break
• Coastal low prompts Southwest Virginia flooding
• Hurricane Ida: Something extraordinary may be happening

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.

Soaking rain set to break September dryness

September is halfway over, and it's been dry.

Roanoke has had barely a half-inch of rain this month, while Blacksburg hasn't cracked a quarter-inch. Neither site has had more than a half-inch of rain in a single day since the Aug. 20-22 period.

That may change over the next couple of days.

A slow-moving low that has been spinning Gulf of Mexico moisture to our southwest will approach the region and begin to spread that moisture over us.

Additionally, east to southeast wind flow that develops between that low and a high pressure system to the northeast will begin to pull a steady stream of Atlantic moisture into Southwest Virginia. As that moisture glides up the Piedmont and into the Appalachians, the upslope effect will condense the moisture into rainfall.

There is a good chance of showers beginning tonight and continuing through Friday, possibly even longer.

Daytime highs will cool from the 80s we've been experiencing and nighttime lows will warm out of the 50s. Many of the next several days will likely hover in the 60s and 70s day and night.

Though cooler and drier weather is likely to return next week, there is still no sign yet of a leaf-turning blast of autumn chill on the horizon.

Weather Journal appears on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.