Southwest and Southside Virginia Weather

Satellite imagery captures the swirl of Francine, in the western Gulf of Mexico just off the Texas coast at the left of the photo, just as it was declared a hurricane by the National Hurricane Center early Tuesday evening. Courtesy of NOAA.

Francine, sailing wide left of Virginia, recalls two other ‘Fran’ storms from our past

by Kevin Myatt September 11, 2024September 11, 2024

Tropical system’s effects on Virginia are likely to be indirect as recent chilly mornings give way to warmer temperatures.

It's just about time to switch from outdoor pools to admiring fall colors, as this sunset photo from Stonegate Pool in Salem on Sunday, Sept. 1 — the first day of "meteorological autumn" — seems to symbolize. Courtesy of Joshua Yerton.

Weather

Virginia weather turns the corner toward fall

by Kevin Myatt September 4, 2024September 3, 2024

Summerlike heat probably still has a play, but by the time it might come back, it will have a harder time holding on as the sun gets lower and sets sooner.

Crepuscular (light spokes) and anti-crepuscular (shadows) rays radiate outward through the clouds as the sun sets over Cave Spring in southwest Roanoke County on Monday, Aug. 26. Courtesy of Catherine Carter.

Weather

Midsummer-like heat strikes back, but its days are numbered

by Kevin Myatt August 28, 2024August 28, 2024

Last week’s fall preview quickly flipped to a mid-July rewind this week, but cooler, wetter weather appears to be set to return.

Plants at Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia were covered with frost on Wednesday morning, as Virginia Tech meteorology professor Dave Carroll recorded an unofficial low temperature of 25 degrees at the elevated valley location. Canaan Valley, West Virginia, reported a low of 32 degrees on Wednesday, and Burke's Garden in Tazewell County, Virginia, dipped to 38 as unseasonably cool weather settled into the Appalachians and MId-Atlantic for a couple of days in typically hot August. Courtesy of Dave Carroll.

Weather

Coolest August temperatures in decades visit parts of Virginia

by Kevin Myatt August 21, 2024August 21, 2024

Temperatures reached the 40s for many in western Virginia on Wednesday morning and will likely be similar on Thursday morning before a slow warmup.

People gather to watch the atypically turgid waters of the James River surge through Richmond in August 1969 after the extreme rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Camille poured down the Blue Ridge from in and around Nelson County into the James River basin. Incredibly, the James River would break its record crest at Richmond just three years later with the remnants of Hurricane Agnes. Courtesy of Library of Virginia.

Weather

The legacy and mythology of Camille in Virginia 55 years later

by Kevin Myatt August 21, 2024August 23, 2024

Camille was no longer a hurricane and never stalled when it hit Virginia in August 1969. But its legacy as an unrivaled though intensely localized catastrophe is etched in stone.

The 200-foot plume of Apple Orchard Falls in Botetourt County was roaring on Sunday, Aug.11, after several inches of rain along the Blue Ridge three days earlier. Photo by Kevin Myatt.

Weather

6 takeaways from Debby’s effects on Virginia

by Kevin Myatt August 14, 2024September 16, 2024

Last week’s tropical system soaked all but the southwest corner of Virginia, providing much more drought relief than flooding or wind problems.

Gusty winds from Tropical Storm Debby snapped a tree in Chris Manley's backyard in Rustburg, located in Campbell County, on Thursday. As of early Thursday evening. sporadic tree damage and scattered power outages clustered in the Lynchburg area have been the most troublesome aspect of Debby for Southwest and Southside Virginia, but there are still evening and overnight hours of swirling rain bands left to go. Courtesy of Chris Manley.

Weather

So far, so good as Debby pulls away

by Kevin Myatt August 8, 2024August 9, 2024

There were sporadic reports of street and small stream flooding and scattered power outages on Thursday into early Friday as the circulation center of the former Tropical Storm Debby moved through Virginia.