Weather agency warning for Sunday, June 30

Roanoke, Virginia – Sunday will be a hot and humid day, which certainly creates a situation where we need to keep an eye on the risk of dangerous heat. These conditions combined with an approaching cold front also bring the risk of strong to severe storms. Therefore, we have issued a Met Office Warning Day for Sunday, June 30th due to the risk of dangerous heat and severe storms.

Temperatures across the region will rise to 35 to 40 degrees. These temperatures combined with significant humidity will make the air feel very muggy and heat indexes will rise significantly. In Lynchburg and the Southside, heat index readings could rise to 38 to 40 degrees by late afternoon.

The other aspect of this warning day is the risk for severe weather. NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has rated the eastern half of our region (including Roanoke, Lynchburg, and the Highlands and Southside areas) as having a low risk (Level 2/5) for severe weather tomorrow, and a low risk (Level 1/5) for the western portions (including the New River Valley).

The greatest danger is damaging winds up to 70 mph that can knock down trees and power lines, especially when combined with heavy rain. Stronger storm cells could also produce damaging hail and torrential rain. The risk of tornadoes is extremely low and appears to be limited to the northeastern United States. Models currently show storms building up in the early afternoon and weakening in the early to mid-evening hours.

Make sure you have a way to receive severe weather alerts and download our new and improved WSLS 10 Weather Authority app to stay up to date on this warning day.