Eyes on the skies: Area under tornado watch until 10 p.m. Friday as storm system approaches
PETERSBURG — A kinda rainy Mother's Day weekend across the area could be ushered in Friday afternoon by strong thunderstorms, and the threat of hail or even tornadoes.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia until 10 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/XqSDIgLOAq
— NWS Wakefield (@NWSWakefieldVA) May 6, 2022
The National Weather Service in Wakefield has issued a tornado watch across portions of Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina until 10 p.m. Friday. The watch area includes eastern portions of West Virginia around Beckley and Bluefield across the Shenandoah and Roanoke valleys, central and eastern Virginia, and central and eastern North Carolina.
A watch means conditions are favorable for the twisters to form and touch down.
The worst of the bad weather is expected in the area between 3-11 p.m.
"Damaging wind gusts and large hail will be possible with the strongest storms," NWS said in a tweet. "A few tornadoes are also possible, especially south of I-64."
🚨 Severe storms expected - Stay weather aware today! Damaging wind gusts and large hail will be possible with the strongest storms. A few tornadoes are also possible, especially south of I-64. Best timing for storms is between 3 and 11 PM. pic.twitter.com/NKjWYlB8mO
— NWS Wakefield (@NWSWakefieldVA) May 6, 2022
The rainfall chance is 60% Friday afternoon, then jumps to 90% Friday night and into the overnight Saturday. A maximum 1.25 inches of rain is predicted during that time, with the heaviest downpours occurring in storms.
Off-and-on rain is forecast for Saturday with the high temperature staying in the 60s. The precipitation chance is 80% through Saturday night.
Mother's Day on Sunday will be overcast with less chances of rain, but the mercury is only expected to climb into the mid-50s.
Unnecessary travel Friday is being recommended, and motorists are advised to avoid any areas with standing water in the road.
Related: When heavy rain falls, these Petersburg spots are likely to flash-flood. Why?
The Red Cross of Virginia took to Twitter Friday afternoon to encourage residents to stay safe.
There is a threat for severe weather including the possibility of isolated tornadoes for parts of Virginia. Be sure to download our @RedCross Emergency App and follow @VDEM, @VSPPIO and @VaDOT for updates.
Report outages to @DominionEnergy or your power provider: pic.twitter.com/X6PluGtUcb— Red Cross Virginia (@VARedCross) May 6, 2022
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Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist and daily news coach for USA TODAY' Network's Atlantic Region which includes Virginia. He is based in Petersburg, Virginia. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg area braces for strong storms, possible hail or tornadoes
