WOAY-TV (Oak Hill, WV): This morning is much calmer than yesterday, but there is some fog to deal with for the morning commute. If you end up driving through fog at any point, make sure to drive slow and use your low beams until you are out of the fog completely. The fog will dissipate later this morning. There are two other elements that will cause concerns for us today; the heat and the storms.
Temperatures will reach into the mid- to upper 80s this afternoon, which is already hot. However, high humidity will push heat indices into the lower 90s for much of our area. There is not Heat Advisory for our viewing area, but bordering counties in the lowlands do have advisories issued for today. If you are planning on being outside, it is important to stay hydrated and use sun protection. If storms do not end up affecting your area, the heat will be your main concern today.
The daytime heat and humidity will cause destabilization in our atmosphere, which will in turn bolster the development of thunderstorms in our region. Storms will remain scattered in nature this afternoon, being few and far between. However, any storms that do form will have potential to become severe. The main concerns for any severe storms will be damaging winds up to 60 miles per hour and heavy rainfall causing flooding issues. Isolated bouts of hail are also in play, while tornadic activity is not likely due to low wind shear. Storms will start developing later in the afternoon and will dissipate after sunset as daytime heating is lost. Meteorologist Christian Boteler has the latest on the severe weather threat and what to expect this weekend:
Friday will be similar to today, but will differ in a couple of crucial ways. The skies will be mostly sunny in the morning. This will allow even more sunshine to hit the surface, allowing destabilization in the atmosphere once again. Temperatures will be a touch cooler, but still warm enough to cause issues in the afternoon. As for the storms, a cold front will push through the region during the afternoon and evening. Storms will be widespread this time around, and severe weather is on the table due to the amount of available energy in the atmosphere.
The main concerns for tomorrow are the same as today. Gusty winds and heavy rain are expected with this line of storms. Hail is also in play, while tornadic activity is unlikely once again. This front will be a relatively quick mover, passing through the region tomorrow evening. Storms will die down after sunset, ending the consecutive days of strong storms in our area. A high-pressure center is directly behind the cold front, which will bring us some nicer weather to begin the weekend. If you need an outside weather day, this is the day over the next week or so.
After the nice break on Saturday, more rain comes through Sunday afternoon. The next front will start to approach our region, allowing more showers and storms to develop later in the day. The potential for a few stronger storms is there once again, but will likely not be as potent as today or tomorrow. The front will push through late Sunday, leading to a nice cooldown in temperatures. We’ll end up staying in the 70s for the next week. However, chances of rain are lingering for the first half of the week. Models are still disagreeing on how much rain and when, but they do maintain some sort of activity between Monday and Tuesday. Here’s the 7-Day Forecast:
