Garden Trade Nursery & Garden Shop

Photography by Tommy Stafford
Nelson County Life Magazine
Building Cumulus Clouds @ Greenfield
We’re Proud to Serve Greenfield and all of Nelson County, VA

In weather we often talk about vertical lift or convection that helps produce thunderstorms. To create a thunderstorm you need unstable, rising air. You can tell that you have those dynamics when you see those puffy fair weather cumulus clouds that have vertical rises like those shown above, in particular on the right. This is a very minor example and though not a thunderstorm, it does give you a clue that storms can be forming. If you see this in the early morning hours, say by 10 o’clock or so, you can bet it will be an active thunderstorm afternoon.

Wednesday evening those towering cumulus clouds did create isolated thunderstorms in some locations. Neighboring Rockbridge County briefly went under a severe thunderstorm warning just before 5 PM yesterday. It was a pretty intense storm just SW of Lowesville. Again most people didn’t see rain, but where the storms were some heavy downpours occurred. NCL-Nelson County Life Magazine reached a high of 88 degrees. NCL-Delfosse Winery & Vineyard, reached an afternoon high of 86 degrees. At NCL-Tiger Fuel Lovingston they reached an afternoon high of 86 degrees at 4 PM. NCL Wintergreen Nature Foundation was pretty warm as well with a Wednesday high of 82 degrees. Back at the foot of the mountain at NCL-Wintergreen Winery they reported an afternoon high of 87 degrees at 3:30 PM.

On the current surface map below, high pressure is the dominating feature today, with scattered garden variety thunderstorms. Best chances again are late evening. It will be hot today as high pressure allows warmer temps to take control.
Current-Sat Surface Map

Below, on the National Forecast Map, high pressure keeps us mainly dry, but muggy. Thunderstorms are more likely this evening and tonight and most likely along the BRP.
Today’s Forecast Map

Today look for mostly sunny skies this morning with partly sunny skies by afternoon. Hot with Some widely isolated thunderstorms. High temps in Greenfield, Cub Creek, and Rockfish around 90 degrees. On the mountains above 2000 feet along the BRP, Wintergreen, Three Ridges, Devil’s Knob, and Montebello, look for partly sunny skies with isolated thunderstorms in the evening. Highs top out around 78-79 degrees. Winds will be south around 5 MPH. Tonight scattered thunderstorms dying out by midnight. Lows valley around 67 degrees. On the mountains overnight lows of about 65. Winds south 5-MPH.

Friday mostly sunny in the morning then scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. High 87. On the mountains look for afternoon highs around 75.The extended forecast by Saturday shows partly sunny skies returning. Daytime highs Saturday 86 – overnight lows generally in the 60’s. By Sunday we cool to around 80 for daytime highs and lows near 60 – upper 50’s mountains. Chances for scattered thunderstorms return Saturday night through Sunday and Monday.

Remember when severe weather breaks out, come here. We’ll have all of the latest watches, warnings, and coverage affecting Nelson and nearby counties.

Have a great Thursday!

Know your Nelson
-T-

Today’s forecast is brought to you by Garden Trade Nursery & Garden Shop

Photography by Tommy Stafford
Nelson County Life Magazine
Piney River, Virginia Post Office
We’re Proud to Serve Piney River and all of Nelson County, VA

We saw isolated thunderstorms develop Tuesday evening just before dark, though most folks never saw a drop of rain. Most of the storms stayed way south & west of Nelson near Roanoke. Afternoon highs topped out generally in the mid 80’s. NCL-Nelson County Life Magazine reached a high of 87 degrees around 4 PM. NCL-Delfosse Winery & Vineyard, reached an afternoon high of a cooler 84 degrees. In Lovingston at NCL-Tiger Fuel had an afternoon high of 86 degrees just before 4 PM. NCL Wintergreen Nature Foundation was the obvious cool spot with a Tuesday high of 73 degrees around 3:30 PM.

On the current surface map below, the cold front that pushed through our area over the past 24 hours is basically washing out and going away. High pressure controls our weather over the next 36 hours, with only very, very isolated chances for a t-storm later today. Best chances are late evening.
Current-Sat Surface Map

Below, on the National Forecast Map, high pressure keeps us mainly dry, but a new system promises more organized storms by the weekend with a chance for severe weather possibly on Sunday. The weekend still has ample sunshine, but there will be better chances for storms.
Today’s Forecast Map

Today look for sunny skies this morning with partly sunny skies by afternoon. Some widely isolated thunderstorms may develop this afternoon, but the majority of them should be south. High temps in Piney River, Martin’s Store, and Tyro will be around 87-88 degrees. On the mountains above 2000 feet along the BRP, Wintergreen, Three Ridges, Devil’s Knob, and Montebello, look for partly sunny skies with isolated thunderstorms in the evening. Highs top out around 73 degrees. Winds will be SE around 5 MPH becoming east. Tonight any thunderstorms that do develop fizzle out by midnight and skies becoming partly cloudy. Patchy fog by Thursday morning in areas that do see some showers. Lows valley around 63 degrees. On the mountains overnight lows of about 65 with the scattered clouds. Winds SW 5-10 MPH.

Thursday mostly sunny and warmer Highs near 90. On the mountains look for afternoon highs around 83.The extended forecast shows chances for scattered thunderstorms returning by Saturday. Daytime highs Friday / Saturday upper 80’s to 90 – overnight lows generally in the 60’s. By Sunday we cool to around 80 for daytime highs with the chances for scattered thunderstorms continuing.

Remember when severe weather breaks out, come here. We’ll have all of the latest watches, warnings, and coverage affecting Nelson and nearby counties.

Know your Nelson
-T-

Today’s forecast is brought to you by Garden Trade Nursery & Garden Shop

Photography by Tommy Stafford
Nelson County Life Magazine
Bubbles @ Wintergreen Winery

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend off. The weather cooperated for just about the entire three days. We did see a brief thunderstorm last night here in Greenfield at our NCL office. NCL-Nelson County Life Magazine reached a high of 91 degrees with .06″ inches of rain in the bucket from the storm. We noticed some small hail as the storm worked its way east. Nelson and some surrounding counties were placed under severe thunderstorm warnings later in the day. But no real damage occurred. To our east over at NCL-Delfosse Winery & Vineyard, Claude’s gauge picked up a tad more rain at 08″ and an afternoon high of 89 degrees. Down 29 in Lovingston at NCL-Tiger Fuel Tim Spicer’s gauge had a little over a third of an inch of rain at .36″ The afternoon high in Lovingston was 90 degrees. Due to the power outages in some locations last night our NCL-Wintergreen Nature Foundation site and NCL-Wintergreen Winery are currently offline and I can see the data from them. They will be back up later today.

On the current surface map below, northern high pressure is slowly pushing a weak cold front down toward our area. This morning it’s to our north in the NOVA area. Throughout the day it will slowly slide toward us.
Current-Sat Surface Map

Below, on the National Forecast Map, the cold front mentioned above makes it somewhere near Nelson this afternoon. We’ll still have chances for those afternoon thunderstorms late in day after we get the heating, but they don’t look to have as much severe potential as Monday. Though any storms that form will be slow moving ones, so isolated heavy rains could occur. The northern high pressure eventually wins out in the next day or so bringing slightly drier air to Nelson County.
Today’s Forecast Map

Today look for partly cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Some storms could produce brief heavy rains. High temps in Faber, Schuyler, and Colleen will be around 86-87 degrees. On the mountains above 2000 feet along the BRP, Wintergreen, and Montebello, look for partly cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs top out around 74 degrees. Winds will be NE around 5-10 MPH becoming east, except gusty near thunderstorms. Tonight Thunderstorms die out by midnight and skies becoming partly cloudy. Lows valley around 60 degrees. Again, patchy fog in any areas where rain has fallen. – On the mountains overnight lows of about 60-61 as well. Winds E-5 MPH becoming NE after midnight.

Wednesday partly cloudy and warm with scattered afternoon thunderstorms. Highs mid 80’s. On the mountains look for low and mid 70’s for afternoon highs with scattered afternoon thunderstorms.The extended forecast shows chances for scattered thunderstorms each afternoon with daytime highs in the mid and upper 80’s and overnight lows generally in the 60’s. The chances for scattered thunderstorms continues into next weekend. Again, most days start sunny with partly cloudy skies by afternoon along with scattered thunderstorms.

If severe weather does break out, remember to come back here, we’ll have all of the latest watches, warnings and coverage of anything affecting Nelson.

Remember Know your Nelson
-T-