• Get your outdoor items today
• There will be strong winds tonight, Thursday
• Dangerous wind chill Friday morning

Winds will become gusty overnight as a strong cold front approaches from the northwest. Temperatures will drop to 30°C in most areas.

FIRST WEATHER WARNING DAY THURSDAY

Strong gusts of wind will occur Wednesday night through Thursday

Be prepared for strong winds beginning late Wednesday evening and lasting through Thursday evening. We expect gusts of 30-50 mph, which could result in power outages and downed trees, particularly in the mountains along the southern Blue Ridge. The National Weather Service issued wind warnings Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon. So make sure you are prepared.

It will also be quite cold, so it’s a good idea to have a backup heat source in case of a power outage. Definitely a good time to plan just in case!

Falling temperatures on Thursday

Thursday’s high will be reached early in the morning, just before sunrise in the mountains, and things will go downhill from there. Expect temperatures to drop quickly from 30 to 40 degrees in the morning to 20 to 15 degrees as the sun sets. That cold air is rushing in fast!

If you’re in the mountains of West Virginia, snow showers will continue into Thursday. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Greenbrier County, WV and a Blizzard Warning for portions of Pocahontas County, WV from tonight through Thursday.

Protect people, pets and pipes

The cold air will set in Thursday night into Friday. Temperatures drop well below freezing and there is a risk of freezing pipes exposed to extreme cold for long periods of time.

You should also bring the pets into the house and check on your friends and elderly people who may be reluctant to ask for help.

Dangerous wind chill Friday morning

In addition to the cold, strong winds will bring dangerously low wind chills early Friday morning. It feels like temperatures could drop into the teens or even single digits. Therefore, make sure you are well dressed before setting off.

Roanoke’s Dickens of a Christmas Tree Lighting

WDBJ7 will be there for the first night of “Dickens of a Christmas” live at the Christmas tree lighting on Friday evening.

Whether you’re heading out for the holidays or the high school football playoffs, you’ll want to dress in lots of layers and prepare for what will feel like temperatures in the teens and 20s.

REVIEW OF THE HURRICANE SEASON

This year’s hurricane season has been active — but not as busy as forecasters originally expected. This is largely due to a “lull” in storm development from August 13 to September 8 – the longest since 1968.

Still, it was a remarkable season with 18 named storms, 11 hurricanes, and 5 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher). Many of these developed in the second half of the season. Five storms made landfall in the United States.

📱DOWNLOAD the FIRST ALERT WEATHER APP to get the latest weather updates straight to the palm of your hand.

Check out the First Alert Winter Weather Outlook

Click here to see what we can expect this coming winter.

Copyright 2024 WDBJ. All rights reserved.