Kevin Myatt is The Roanoke Times' weather columnist.

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@roanoke.com
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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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Flip the switch.

Monday's first widespread freeze of the season across Southwest Virginia will give way to temperatures that might even push 80 today and Thursday.

Roanoke dropped to 32 degrees briefly Monday morning. Many other locations in the region, especially north and west of Roanoke, fell into the 20s and were below freezing long enough to end the 2009 growing season.

Today will be the kind of October day cherished for outdoor activities, albeit when most folks are at work or school. The morning will start chilly, in the upper 30s and low 40s, and then the dry air will warm rapidly with the day's sunshine into the 70s, with an 80-degree reading or two possible from Roanoke south and east.

We are in a progressive weather pattern where new cold fronts will move across the country at fairly even intervals, with warm-ups in between. The next will arrive by the weekend, bringing rain followed by cooler temperatures.

The weekend front is not likely to bring winterlike chill to the region, however, as it will be of Pacific rather than Canadian or Arctic origin.

This is pretty typical October weather. Remember that "normal" is just the average of extremes.

Weather Journal runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.