Sunshine to storms again Tuesday with large hail and strong wind threat tonight
Tuesday starts dry enough under mostly cloudy skies but it won’t be long before showers return for the early afternoon and evening. These will be more widespread than Monday’s as a warm front lifts towards the north. Along this front, garden soaking rains can be expected to start turning more stormy as the heat of the day unfolds. Highs depend on sunshine amounts with those seeing the most pushing into the upper 70s and low 80s. Where puffy clouds block the sun, temps will hang in the low to mid 70s.
As clouds build, storms begin to push across the region from southwest to northeast. A few could be on the stronger side with large hail and damaging winds the main concern. While flooding isn’t a widespread risk, those that get up under these thunderstorms could find an inch or more of rain falling in short time. Runoff and standing water will be a issue here.
With our atmosphere set up, a layer of colder air will be available for storms to utilize, one reason we have the large hail threat. The life of a thunderstorm takes warm, moist air and throws it up high into the sky. As storms rain out, the column of air supporting them can sometimes sink fast in what is called a downburst. These highly localized events can bring a deluge of rain and strong winds that flow out in all directions. Any thunderstorm that forms today has this potential to simply ‘collapse’. When storms are in your area, pay special attention to weather alerts. Our interactive radar can help keep you and your family safe.
After sunset, storms will begin to fade with the loss of the sun’s energy. A few showers will remain well into the night with a clearing trend overall. It’ll be a humid and mild evening as temps stay in the upper 50s and low 60s for lows.
Wednesday again starts dry enough with only a handful of scattered showers still roaming. More dry time than not until we get to the later afternoon hours. A cold front towards the west approached bringing clouds and shower chances. A soggy evening commute as winds begin to push 25-30mph from the west.
By nightfall, the front begins to cross bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms. A small risk of severe weather but timing is our friend with this system. A late night arrival means we won’t have the energy from the sun to build these storms. They will have to use what available which fades into the night. Still, a gusty line of showers and heavy rain can cause some minor issues with downed trees and standing water on roads.
Thursday begins soggy with scattered showers predawn but we’ll catch a break in the afternoon. We’ll cool a couple degrees from the highs of Wednesday thanks to early morning clouds but still manage another day above average. A damp and humid day as temps rise into the 70s for the afternoon. We’ll have a nice enough sunset with puffy clouds hanging around. Our next system will move in overnight keeping overnight lows from dropping too far into 40s.
Friday again is a sunshine and stormy day as we wait for the arrival of another cold front. The active pattern by now has saturated our grounds so afternoon showers and thunderstorms could become too much for local creeks and streams. Runoff issues will likely occur just in time for the evening commute. Highs still manage to push into the mid 70s with broken sunshine. As our cold front moves in for the evening hours, a few thunderstorms on the stronger side are possible. Severe weather risks are low but strong winds and heavy rain will be the top concern. We’ll have more details as the storm develops.
Saturday is looking soggy thanks to our slow moving cold front from Friday. Showers early on fade to scattered chances in the afternoon. A rumble of thunder is still on the table but with our cold front crossing, temps begin to cool stealing some of the energy from the atmosphere. Highs only manage the upper 60s which happens early in the afternoon. Winds will be elevated from the west 15-20mph with gusts pushing 25-30 as colder air begin to move in. Overnight lows hold tough in the low to mid 40s but a few high mountains will be in the 30s.
Sunday is a cooler day with a mix of sun and clouds. Highs struggle into the mid 50s with breezy conditions most of the day. A system towards our south looks to bring a few clouds for our southern state line counties with showers possible in the afternoon. Most of us will be dry, breezy, and cool.
Monday is looking nicer with temps near average and plenty of sunshine as high pressure visits for a short time. Temps push into the upper 50s and low 60s for the afternoon before cooling into the overnight back into frost territory of the mid and upper 30s.
In your extended forecast we struggle a bit with temps but in true April fashion, bounce back in no time. Overnight lows will be problematic for early gardeners, especially in the higher terrain with the threat of frost. Safe growing season for our region is early May. There are some exceptions for our southwestern counties, but a general rule is waiting until Mother’s Day.
Spring burn bans are still in place for both Virginia and West Virginia. For Virginia, no burning before 4pm is allowed through April 30th while in West Virginia no burning is allow from 7am to 5pm through May 31st. Burning during bans can result in fines, expensive reimbursements to fire departments, and civil lawsuits from damage caused from out of control fires.
TUESDAY
Dry start then showers and PM storms. Highs in the upper 70s/low 80s.
WEDNESDAY
Sct. Showers, some heavy, PM storms. Highs in the upper 70s.
THURSDAY
AM Showers, slow clearing PM. Highs in the low 70s
FRIDAY
Showers and PM storms. Highs in the mid 70s.
SATURDAY
Sct. Showers, Heavy rain PM. Highs in the 60s.
SUNDAY
Drying out, breezy, cooler. Highs in the 50s.
MONDAY
Sunny & breezy. Highs in the 60s
TUESDAY
Sun & Clouds, PM Showers. Highs in the 60s.
WEDNESDAY
Sun & Clouds. Highs in the 70s.
THURSDAY
Sunshine & mild. Highs in the 60s.
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