Kevin Myatt's Weather Wonders

06/19/2025

Thursday promises the potential of more storms with locally heavy rain and/or damaging winds, as others around don't see much of either. Beyond that, storm and rain chances go away over the weekend, but the heat begins to climb. Perhaps some mid-upper 90s in parts of Southwest/Southside Virginia by early next week. Roanoke's run of not yet having its first 90-degree day of 2025 -- only 13 years since 1912 haven't had a 90-degree day by June 18 -- will end soon, possibly Thursday, but almost certainly by Sunday.

A front has been stuck near us for several days, bringing rounds of showers and storms, but a stronger front will soon clear that out and set Virginia up for a hot spell.

06/14/2025

There was some significant creek flooding in Rockbridge County with slow-moving downpours on Friday evening. More chances locally heavy rain in Southwest/Southside Virginia over the next several days, with all locations likely to get at least little wet especially Sunday.

The story remains the same, as afternoon thunderstorms will again be possible across the area today. Heavy rainfall will be the main threat, as slow-moving storms that train over the same areas could cause flash flooding, especially after the heavy rainfall received in parts of the area the past few days. This continues into Sunday, with more widespread heavy rainfall expected as an upper-level trough moves through.

06/12/2025

Some 90-degree weather possible the next couple of days in parts of Southwest/Southside Virginia before chances of showers and thunderstorms pick up for the weekend.

It is actually a tad late for the first 90-degree temperatures of the year. Speaking of heat, don’t be late entering the Cardinal Weather summer heat prediction contest.

06/09/2025

Another day of scattered storms for Southwest/Southside Virginia on this Monday, with the greatest chance into this evening in the western edge of the state moving in ahead of a weak cold front. Generally, though, lots of sunshine and warming temperatures this week, some locations possibly seeing their first 90-degree highs of the season by late week, before more weekend showers.

06/06/2025

We're going to see an uptick in showers and thunderstorms starting on this Friday afternoon in Southwest/Southside Virginia and continuing over the weekend, but prolonged soaking rain is unlikely and there will be hours of gaps between difficult-to-time rounds of showers and storms. A front will become stalled over or waver back and forth near our region and a series of impulses moving along the front will trigger showers and storms. There will be some risk for severe storms but the greater risk will tend to be a little south of us in higher instability and deeper moisture, as the map below for Saturday shows. The wind and rain with storms should help clear out remnants of the Canadian wildfire smoke haze. A cold front will finally push all the way through by the middle of next week to end the periodic shower chances and dry us out for the latter half of next week.

06/05/2025

2-for-"price"-of-1 (it's all free, no paywall) weather columns in Cardinal News this week. One (linked here) looks at how Virginia is between Canadian smoke -- which made it hazy at surface today -- and African dust, which may not quite get here before showers and a weekend cold front passage ahead. The second (in comments) is a historical look at strange pattern of 1941 heat for Southwest/Southside Virginia -- near 100 in May, near 100 in October, mostly not close to that in the actual summer in between.

While the smoke from distant wildfires that brought hazy skies this week will gradually clear, a dust plume from the Sahara Desert will approach later in the week.

06/01/2025

Few clouds and no precipitation expected on this Sunday and really all the way to at least midweek in Southwest/Southside Virginia. But the sky will have a thick hazy pall on this Sunday as thick wildfire smoke from Canada pours through high aloft on northwest wind flow. Unfortunately it may interfere with visibility for what could be another enhanced episode of the aurora borealis overnight as a burst of solar radiation approaches Earth. For the most part the smoke is moving through layers of the atmosphere above the surface so lower levels may not look/smell that smoky, though some of it may move downward in time. Changing wind flow by midweek is likely to lead to hotter temperatures than today's 40s lows/70s highs and may shift the smoke plume away from Virginia.

05/30/2025

Daytime heating plus an approaching cold front and strong winds aloft likely results in scattered to numerous thunderstorms by afternoon and early evening across much of Virginia, moving from west to east. Some storms may have damaging winds and large hail, possibly even a few tornadoes, with the greatest risk of severe storms east of the Blue Ridge. Weekend turns breezy with cool mornings and warm afternoons.

05/29/2025

Below is roundup of Tuesday highs that were first or second coolest on record at some regional sites. Warmer temps next couple of days with chances of thunderstorms especially Friday. In first comment is latest Cardinal Weather column which speculates a bit about summer and introduces the Cardinal Weather summer heat prediction contest.

05/27/2025

I wouldn't usually use the word "cold" to describe 50s -- more like "cool," even "mild" in winter -- but perhaps it's justified for high temperatures in the last week of May. Damp, unseasonably chilly weather the next couple of days -- but the weekend, as of now, looks sunny and warm.

A disturbance will track over Tennessee today and Kentucky tonight. Warm moist air from this system will move over a wedge of cold air. These two weather features will combine to produce around an inch or so of rain and cold temperatures. Highs temperatures today will range in the 50s.

05/23/2025

If you're looking for Memorial Day weekend to be a summer preview as it is some years, this one will not be that at all. If you're looking for a couple really pleasant, mostly sunny days in Southwest/Southside Virginia (counting today, Friday, and Saturday), then a couple of decent ones with late-day risks of some showers, this one will satisfy. We are likely headed for a really rainy period Monday night-Wednesday next week, and perhaps beyond, But that doesn't look like it will get fully set up through the daylight hours of this weekend, perhaps by night on Memorial Day. This will not in any way be a summerlike "hot" weekend, with highs in the 60s and 70s across the region and many lows in the 40s. A deep southward dip in the jet stream, augmented by a nor'easter storm system off the New England coast, has brought a late May cool spell. As spring warmth tries to push back against the coolness late next week, Gulf moisture will override a stationary front draped to our south and lead to a rainy period. This may bring a few showers by late Sunday, somewhat more by late in the day Monday, then a lot more Monday night and especially Tuesday and Wednesday. Enjoy the sunshine that you can this weekend.

05/22/2025

Recounting Billy Bowling's chase of a tornadic supercell last Friday that almost crossed the length of Kentucky, almost reaching Virginia, in this week's Cardinal News weather column. For Southwest/Southside Virginia, calmer, cooler, mostly dry weather on the way through Saturday, but shower chances return by Memorial Day.

The supercell that formed in the Missouri Ozarks on Friday traveled over 400 miles before unraveling just before it could get into Southwest Virginia early Saturday.