Kevin Myatt's Weather Wonders

09/04/2026

Recapping a couple of record highs in the region (Roanoke’s 97 & 96 last two days have been hot but a little short of records long time September landmarks) and looking ahead to one, sort of two, more days of the heat wave before a significant but short break for Labor Day.

https://cardinalnews.org/2026/09/03/september-sizzle-temperatures-soar-past-100-in-southside-virginia-hit-90s-most-other-places/

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09/03/2026

It was the hottest September day in 72 years at Lynchburg on Wednesday with a high of 99, while Danville touched 100 for the first time in September since 1990. Roanoke's 97 high was the fourth time it's been that hot in September since 1954, the last time it broke into triple digits in the first month of "meteorological fall," but any higher, which is possible today or Friday, would be the hottest since then. The heat breaks over the weekend, or at least backs off to more typical 80s highs by early next week, but there could be some more numerous showers and thunderstorms at some point during the weekend. The timing is difficult to nail with the frontal passage, and therefore it's a bit unsettled yet how that will affect 65,000 people gathering at the VMI-Virginia Tech football game in Blacksburg and other outdoor weekend events. Be prepared for showers or storms most anytime Saturday and Sunday, but it won't be a weekend-long washout.

Wednesday's surface heat was enough to push a few updrafts through the cap of warm air aloft, including this severe-warned storm in Rockbridge and northern Bedford counties. My vantage point was from 40 air miles away in southern Roanoke County as the storm produced a stunning back-sheared anvil, indicating strong updrafts pushing cloud material against prevailing winds aloft (though those were quite light under hot high pressure). this storm pulsed out quickly but produced torrential rain, damaging wind gusts, and frequent lightning while it did. Storms like these won't be the rule Thursday and Friday but a couple could pop up.

(This week’s Cardinal Weather column in first comment below.)

08/31/2026

On the meteorological calendar, this is the last day of summer as August ends and Tuesday's first day of September begins fall. Short-term weather isn't getting that message. This will likely be the hottest week Southwest/Southside Virginia as a whole have had since before the Fourth of July, as high pressure aloft builds in from the south-central U.S., with many 90s highs each day, some spots possibly scraping 100 in Southside or maybe even the Roanoke Valley toward midweek. While an isolated pop-up storm (like these cumulus clouds were trying to do Sunday in this photo, but ran out of time before sunset, taken from near Explore Park in eastern Roanoke County) can't be ruled out with such intense heat, this period is likely to pass dry for most, with showers and storms picking up again toward late week ahead of a weekend cold front that will usher in much cooler air (70s-lower 80s highs, 50s-lower 60s lows) by early next week.

08/27/2026

Sticky-stormy is back. Early afternoon shot from my weekday place of work, the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. We'll have scattered storms through Friday with a slow-moving front pushing into moist air, then drier but hotter into next week. Meteorological fall starts on Tuesday (Sept. 1) but it won't feel that way with many 90s highs.

Looking at the recent cool break, returned stickiness, and rebuilding heat in this week's Cardinal News column, posted in first comment.

08/23/2026

After some cranky storms and streaky rain on Saturday across Southwest/Southside Virginia, we have about three days ahead that at least hint at fall. Cooler, 50s lows (40s in a few spots), 70s-lower 80s highs, lower humidity, cooler and drier breezes. Warmer, stickier, stormier weather returns late week.

08/20/2026

We'll be getting back into the scattered showers and storms pattern the next three days in Southwest/Southside Virginia, starting on this Thursday. You know the drill: Pours on one spot, misses another, a few trees blow down in a gust in a few spots, but not most places. Looking drier and a bit cooler Sunday into next week -- 70s-lower 80s highs, 50s- lower 60s lows.

In the gap between active weather, I took a look back to 57 years ago, and two years ago, to compare and contrast the inland effects our region suffered from hurricanes Camille and Helene. This isn't an effort to judge which disaster was worse, but rather, show how they were different disasters arising from similar events at their core, powerful Gulf Coast-landfalling hurricanes.

The 1969 and 2024 tropical-induced catastrophes had obvious similarities in impacts, but also many differences that made each one a distinct disaster.

08/17/2026

Another day of scattered storms and perhaps a few strong storm clusters on this Monday before 2 or 3 days of a drier break behind a cold front, then a return to the intermittently stormy pattern late week and weekend. A morning rain band on Sunday stabilized the atmosphere for much of the afternoon but new storms moved in from the northwest during the evening and overnight, some places like Lynchburg getting a couple of different rounds, others like some parts of the Roanoke Valley missing both. (Photo below is of a storm near Lynchburg, as seen from southern Roanoke County). The focus for the stronger storms will tend to be farther south today, near and south of the Virginia-North Carolina border, but a potent storm could occur most anywhere in the region -- or miss your spot.

We are missing a searing heat wave in states west of us, with near-normal 80s-lower 90s highs expected this week, and growing signals of a last-week-of-August cooldown.

08/16/2026

Another day of storm clusters riding in from the west and northwest on this Sunday, some with damaging winds and heavy rain, but many spots will be looking in from the outside and getting much lesser impacts. If you have outdoor activities today, have a plan to get inside quickly if threatening weather approaches. The storm risks push south more toward the Virginia-North Carolina border on Monday and then finally we get maybe 2-3 days break from daily storm chances before those return late in the week with a new front. Temperatures remain fairly seasonable, 80s to lower 90s highs, mostly 60s to some lower 70s at night. Growing signals of a significant late-month cooldown that may be our first real hint of autumn ahead.

Today will be an active day, as severe storms and flash flooding are both concerns. Afternoon storms will be capable of producing damaging winds and isolated tornadoes, with the best chance north of US-460. Flash flooding is possible through tonight where storms move over the same areas repeatedly, with the greatest chance in West Virginia, which is under a moderate risk (Level 3 of 4). Stay weather aware and have a way to receive warnings.

08/12/2026

We got through Tuesday pretty well, a few sporadic strong wind gusts amid a series of rumbly rainy storm clusters, most of which were dissipating crossing into Virginia, so some locations had one round and others had two or three. The storm cluster that crossed the state line from West Virginia on Tuesday evening was already declared a derecho by the Storm Prediction Center for its continuous damage from Iowa to Indiana, but was much weaker reaching Virginia, and ultimately dissipated above us where the instability had been used up by prior storm rounds. All but a few of the 115,000 who lost power in Virginia in Monday's storms also have it back on, a great thanks to the utility crews working to restore it.

There will be much less storm frequency and coverage the next few days for Southwest/Southside Virginia, but still a chance of a few locally firing pop-up storms and perhaps a cluster or two from somewhere west or northwest, before the northwest-flow flattens out over the weekend. Temperatures get back to summer heat, with upper 80s-mid 90s highs many of the next several days into next week.

There are starting to be hints of a late-month much cooler pattern developing. Hold onto that hope -- not etched in stone yet -- if you're tired of the heat, stickiness, and storminess.

08/11/2026

Difficult day to discern for timing and impacts of thunderstorms as there are multiple storm clusters already in the northwest flow pattern upstream from Southwest/Southside Virginia in West Virginia and the Ohio Valley, the first (second really, counting Monday's curve ball) weakening rapidly crossing into Virginia on this Tuesday morning. Each cluster will have the potential to produce locally or more widespread damaging winds and torrential rain for a short time, but each one also will use up some atmospheric instability and spread clouds and rain-cooled air, potentially weakening the next cluster behind it. Worst case scenario is another large damaging wind event by late afternoon or evening if there is enough destabilizing solar warmth during the day, with flash flooding also possible for areas where rain is heaviest or most frequent. Best case scenario is a series of rumbly rain episodes with a few isolated strong gusts that provide needed rain to areas still in significant drought. As usual, the outcome probably will be in between, with uneven impacts across our region -- lots of rain for some, much less for others, varying wind effects.

This stormy pattern may continue into Wednesday but slowly dwindle into more typical scattered storms late week into the weekend as temperatures remain near mid-August norms with mostly 80s highs, some lower 90s on sunnier days.

Today presents another risk of severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts and localized flash flooding. An isolated tornado is possible in southeast West Virginia this afternoon. A Flood Watch is also in effect through Thursday morning along and west of the Blue Ridge.