WOAY-TV (Oak Hill, WV): This morning is a foggy, hazy, and warm one. Make sure to drive carefully and use your high beams until fog dissipates around 10 AM. When the fog leaves, the haze will remain to cause minor visibility issues. While we are not in the worst of the smoke like the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, air quality will remain moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups. An Air Quality Alert has not been issued for our area, but bordering counties to the north and west have received these alerts today. Staying inside will be the best way to beat the heat and haze. If you need to be outside, stay hydrated, use sun protection, and take breaks. If you have respiratory issues, keeping outdoor errands brief is recommended.
The heat and haze are not our only concerns. This evening, scattered storms will return to the forecast. While the front will remain to our north until tomorrow, activity will remain in the region from this evening until the wee hours of the morning. A strong storm or two is possible in the very western parts of our area, but the strongest stuff will likely stay to our west in Kentucky and other states. On the bright side, this front will push out the persistent haze and the scorching heat. Meteorologist Christian Boteler has the latest forecast:
Storms become widespread on Saturday as the cold front moves through the region. Rounds of storms are likely through the day, and a few of them have potential to become strong to severe. The Storm Prediction Center has placed the northeastern corner of our region in a “slight” severe weather risk, indicating the likelihood of scattered severe storms. The rest of our region is in the “marginal” risk, which indicates isolated severe activity. The main concerns for Saturday will be damaging winds up to 60 miles per hour and heavy rain causing localized flooding issues. Hail and tornadic activity are not as likely but cannot be ruled out completely.
The window for severe storms will last from noon until a bit after sunset. Available energy will be plenty sufficient for severe activity to develop. There will also be plenty of moisture to work with, which is why flooding is the largest concern in our graphic. Storms will end up weakening overnight and Sunday as the front passes through. Despite the front passing before sunrise on Sunday, showers and storms will remain in the forecast for the morning and afternoon. Activity will slowly dissipate that evening, ending the upcoming round of storms within our area. Safe to say, you’ll need indoor plans or some rain gear this weekend. On the bright side, this front will drag the heat and smoke away from our region.
As the weekend turns to the next work week, we start on a pretty great note. Monday shows mostly sunny skies and rain chances trending downward for the last couple of days. Rain is not likely to return to the region until Tuesday when the next frontal system passes this. The next round of rain will be brought on by another cold front passing through the region. Showers and storms will last through most of Tuesday and linger into Wednesday morning. Storm strength and timing are still uncertain, but heavier rainfall is possible again. This front will pass through overnight on Tuesday, but storms and showers last until Wednesday afternoon. From there, conditions are trending towards moderate temperatures and sunny skies on Thursday. Here’s the 7-Day Forecast:
