Watches/Warnings Issued for Region

  • HIGH WIND WARNING for Mercer, Tazewell, Bland, Giles, Monroe, Summers and Greenbrier counties from 8 a.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Sunday. Sustained west wind of 20 to 35 mph with wind gusts up to 55 to 65mph are expected, which will cause downed trees and power lines. Expect scattered power outages and difficulty traveling.
  • HIGH WIND WARNING for northwest Raliegh, northwest Fayette and northwest Nicholas counties from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 p.m. Saturday. Sustained southwest wind of 25 to 35 mph with wind gusts up to 60 mph are expected, which will cause downed trees and power lines. Expect scattered power outages and difficulty traveling.
  • HIGH WIND WARNING for southeast Raleigh, southeast Fayette and southeast Pocahontas counties from 8 a.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday. Sustained west wind of 30 to 40 mph with wind gusts up to 60 mph are expected, which will cause downed trees and power lines. Expect scattered power outages and difficulty traveling.
  • HIGH WIND WARNING for southeast Nicholas and northwest Pocahontas counties from 8 a.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday. Sustained west wind of 30 to 40 mph with wind gusts up to 65 mph are expected, which will cause downed trees and power lines. Expect scattered power outages and difficulty traveling.

Saturday provides the strong wind gusts, especially in the afternoon, as an area of low pressure to our north over the Great Lakes strengthens. We’ll see gusty rain showers just before dawn in the morning in association with a stout cold front, which could briefly be steady at times, with improving conditions in the afternoon in terms of precipitation, but with a very tight pressure gradient in place like last weekend and peaks of sunshine expected at times in the afternoon, strong wind gusts are a good bet from the late morning through the afternoon Saturday, which is why High Wind Warnings are in effect for the region.

Wind gusts up to 60 mph will be possible, with locally higher amounts on the ridgelines will cause some power outages, downed trees and difficulty driving. High Wind Warnings are not commonly issued. It will be cooler behind the front, with highs in the middle 60s around lunchtime dropping as we head into the afternoon.

Sunday is a cooler and calmer day behind that front, with a flurry or two over the WV mountains before dawn, but with high pressure settling in, this looks like a sunny day, with highs in the middle 50s and much calmer wind.

Monday brings that area of high pressure down to our southeast into the Carolinas, which will set us up for a nice southwest flow. This means temperatures will be on the rise! High temperatures should easily jump up and approach the 70-degree mark – this looks to mark the beginning of another warm run for the two Virginias. Partly to mostly sunny skies will dominate the weather in what should be a nice start to the work week.

Tuesday could be our warmest day in quite some time. Despite the chance for an isolated shower or two with a front nearby, we will make a run into the middle 70s! It will certainly feel more like Memorial Day around here than Easter! In between the occasional sprinkle or two will be some peaks of sunshine. It’s still not a bad day at all and very warm!

You think that’s warm? Wednesday is even warmer! A few sprinkles at times won’t hold temperatures back much, with highs in the middle to perhaps even upper 70s! We will have a cold front that will approach the region late in the day, which will increase our clouds and shower chances.

Thursday brings the cold front through the region during the morning hours, which will make for a wet start to the day. By the afternoon, we will see conditions begin to clear out, with perhaps even some afternoon sunshine but it’ll be cooler outside. Temperatures will drop from the 60s down into the 50s in the afternoon with breezy conditions expected (though nothing like what’s expected this weekend).

Friday is cooler but we will see plenty of sunshine, with highs back up into the upper 50s across the region.

Looking ahead, the first full month of April looks mild! Temperatures in the 60s and perhaps even 70s appear likely with yet another Bermuda High setting in over the Atlantic – this was the pattern that brought mild weather to the region for much of the winter – and not much snow. Though we will see occasional systems breaking the warmth – primarily the end of next week into the start of the weekend – this pattern looks to last through the first half of April, meaning that above average conditions are likely for most of the period. For reference, our average high temperature for this time of the year is in the upper 50s across the region.

TONIGHT
Showers continue, could be gusty at times with our heaviest showers before dawn. Lows in the lower 50s.
SATURDAY
AM showers, PM clearing. STRONG wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph, with locally higher gusts in the mountains. Expect some power outages. Highs in the middle 60s.
SUNDAY
Mostly sunny and calm! Highs in the middle 50s.
MONDAY
Partly to mostly sunny, warmer. Highs near 70.
TUESDAY
Mostly cloudy, few showers, very warm! Highs in the lower to middle 70s.
WEDNESDAY
Couple of sprinkles. VERY warm – highs in the middle to upper 70s!
THURSDAY
Mostly cloudy, with showers likely, especially early. Breezy. Temperatures drop from the lower 60s in the morning to the 50s for the afternoon.
FRIDAY
Mostly sunny, a little cooler. Highs in the upper 50s.
SATURDAY
Mostly sunny, cooler again. Highs in the middle 50s.
SUNDAY
Partly sunny and warmer. Highs near 60.
MONDAY
Partly sunny and cooler. Highs in the lower 50s.