Our Weekend Starts On Wednesday

Moisture has been slow to depart this week. A few passing upper level disturbances have kept a soggy outlook for some folks across our state so far. Dense morning fog has been steadily lurking in the hollows and ridge tops alike. But the heat from the day burned off those low lying clouds by mid morning. We’ve seen lots of sunshine despite the abundance of moisture in the upper atmosphere. This persistent lingering moisture along with the relentless heat from the day has allowed a few pop up thundershowers along the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. The rest of the state has managed to stay relatively dry so far this week. This theme will continue through the rest of this week.

Temperatures will continue to reach the mid to upper 80s Wednesday and Thursday. We’ll wake up to foggy mornings, then partly cloudy skies and a few afternoon thunderstorms as the day progresses. A cold front will swing down from the Great Lakes Friday. We’ll see slightly cooler temperatures (mid 70s) during the day Friday along with an increased chance of rain showers and thunderstorms. High pressure will move in to the area and clear out much of this persistent moisture in time for another nice weekend. We’re looking at a dry weekend forecast with temps in the 70s and low 80s through Monday. This will be a nice weekend to cookout and have fun in the sun on Cheat Lake or Arden or even Blue Hole. So enjoy and have a safe holiday weekend. Rain showers return to the forecast on Monday night/Tuesday.

Touch Of Grey

Folks across the mountain state got a well deserved break from grey skies and wet weather Thursday. Conditions stay warm in the upper 70s today under a mostly sunny sky. We’ll see increasing clouds this afternoon as a deep upper level disturbance meanders across the Ohio valley. Rain showers and a few thunderstorms will develop tonight, continuing through Saturday. As with any system, the timing of the front will become vital in determining just how much rainfall will be realized this weekend. The generally slow track of the trough means that showers will be slow to move eastward. As a result, all points west will pick up more rain sooner than the eastern portions of our state. Here, we can expect to see less than half an inch of rain to fall late tonight/Saturday. Abundant cloud cover should keeps temperatures in check on Saturday. This will also suppress the development of instability in the upper atmosphere. So any thunderstorms would be very isolated this weekend. High pressure will gradually muscle any lingering moisture further east on Sunday. So look forward to abundant sunshine as much warmer temperatures next week!

The Ol' Ultraviolet

Had some flooding reported in southern parts of the state already this week. We also saw a dry period today along with a few peaks of sunshine. However, a low pressure front brought showers this evening and will remain nearly stationary through Wednesday morning. Periods of rain, heavy at times, will continue tonight through Wednesday. Accumulation totals will be around .25 inches. Things improve hopefully before sundown Wednesday night. High pressure will move in from the northwest early Thursday. This will allow us a chance to enjoy a little of the ol ultraviolet. Temperatures will reach the mid to upper 70s. So make Thursday count! More rain showers arrive from our west before noon on Friday. Rain showers and perhaps and an odd thunderstorm between a few rays of sunshine Saturday and Sunday. Watch for breezy ridgetops as that front moves through this weekend. Sunshine returns Monday.

After Midnight

It was indeed perfect for sleeping outside (away from any solid white lines). Having enjoyed a weekend of calm weather we’ll once again be exposed to depressing grey skies, soggy shoes and unsettled weather for the next several days. A respectable low pressure disturbance is currently moving northeastward from Kentucky delivering a line of heavy rain showers and thunderstorms to much of the southeastern U.S. this afternoon. We can expect those same rain showers to move across most of West Virginia this evening through tonight. However, the chances of any leftover thunderstorms are almost none. Also, based on observations and model analysis areas north of RT 50 will be sparred any measureable rainfall until around midnight. After midnight, the entire forecast area will observe substantial rainfall amounts through Monday. Folks near poorly drained areas will want to pay attention for any potential flash flood warnings through the rest of today, tonight and tomorrow.

New rainfall through 8 PM Monday

As much as 2.25 inches of new rainfall is expected to fall in the northern mountains through 8 PM Monday. Here, we could receive 1-1.5 inches through Monday. Although more rain is on tap for Tuesday & Wednesday, precipitation will be light. Even so, this additional rainfall could become problematic for those flood prone areas. We’ll finally start to get a break from the wet stuff late Wednesday/Thursday. However, another low pressure system is on track for next weekend. Will definitely monitor that system for next weekend and report as each new weather model provides more and more confidence in next weekend’s weather.

10 day GFS, 8 PM next Saturday, May 22. More rain on tap from our SW. More later...

Mild temperatures will continue through Wednesday. We’re looking at daytime temps reaching the low to mid 60s. Nights will cool down to the low 50s for the entire week. Warmer air will arrive Thursday, raising the mercury into the mid to upper 70s.

Mild temps through Wednesday. Not too hot, not too cold.

Sleep Outside

Winds of out the southwest delivered plenty of warm, moist air to the mountain state this week. Admittedly, things got hot and steamy here. However a cold front will sweep across the eastern U.S. today, trending temps towards more mild numbers. We’ll likely see a few isolated thunderstorms this afternoon and tonight. Other states should be so lucky! Widespread tornadoes, flash-flooding, gushing oil wells and illegal immigrants have plagued other parts of the country. Here in coal country, skies stay mostly cloudy today with temps reaching the upper 70s. High pressure will creep into the area drying things out just in time for the weekend. We’ll notice dew points and relative humidity bottom out as skies remain relatively clear and temps stay mild in the low to mid 70s. Saturday and Sunday nights will be perfect for sleeping outside; dry with temps in the 40s and 50s. Low pressure will bring some unsettled weather next week, so go outside and get some sun on your shoulders this weekend!

Appalachian Sunshine

Steady southerly air flow from the Gulf has enabled widespread above normal temperatures for the eastern U.S. Folks in the mountain state made sure to enjoy their share of the Appalachian sunshine. Meanwhile in the Midwest, a strong cold front tracked eastward through IL, MI & OH today. A few thunderstorms produced heavy rain and strong winds mainly around the Great Lakes. The Strom Prediction Center has issued a hazardous weather outlook for our area through tonight. There's a slight chance that the storm could produce heavy rain and damaging winds with 30+ mph gusts through Saturday morning.

Naturally, look for increasing clouds this evening as wind speeds gradually pick up through tonight. As mentioned above, we could get clipped with a few rain showers/isolated thunderstorms tonight. Temps hold steady in the mid 50s tonight. Rest easy, high pressure will swoop in and muscle any lingering moisture off the Atlantic coast by midday Saturday. Expect strong winds to continue during this period as things struggle to settle down in the upper atmosphere. Conditions perk up pretty nicely for the remainder of the weekend. We will however notice temps turning towards the cooler side once again.

(Purple mass represents dry air bulldozing the wet stuff off the grid & onto the coast)

Temperatures Sunday night may turn cold enough to warrant a frost advisory, however I’m thinking that most places will see temps hold just above freezing until Monday morning. We’ll see daytime temps in the mid 60s for the first part of next week. Chance of rain returns with a warm front late Tuesday night/Wednesday. Air flow turns SW again bringing warmer air by midweek.

We Don't Need No Stinking Whikskey!

It's time to brek out the tequila and six shooters and celebrate another cinco de Mayo! We’ll keep abundant sunshine for the rest of our Wednesday. Temps in the lower 80s and calm weather are the rule today. We’ll be clipped by a short lived upper level disturbance early on Thursday. We could see a very isolated rain shower and/or some thunder early on Thursday. However, we should begin to see clearing skies and temps in the mid 70s once again for the better part of Thursday. Sunny skies and calm weather returns for our Friday, but a cold front will be setting in for late Friday night/Saturday. Expect rain showers and a few thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday. Also temperatures will really be kept in check this weekend. Look for daytime highs to maybe reach the lower 60s through Monday. Although nighttime temps will definitely keep us honest, we should not have to talk about frost this weekend. Nigh time temps will hang in the mid to upper 30s this weekend. The silver lining in those clouds arriving this weekend would be the speed with which they leave us. Also, we will not have to contend with lots of rainfall. We’ll see a mere .25 to .5 inch of new rain through this weekend.

Try not to get into too much troubles okay...