Labor Day weekend weather and travel outlook
ROANOKE, Va. – Expect the clouds that lingered Thursday evening to clear out overnight, setting up a pretty bright Friday.
Friday’s forecast looks mostly sunny, with a few extra clouds moving in for the afternoon, but staying dry for the day. Looking ahead to Saturday, more sun than clouds is expected, although late in the day there’s a slight chance (less than 20 percent) for a stray shower or thundershower, mainly in the Mountain Empire and/or the New River Valley. Once again most of us look dry on both Sunday and Monday (Labor Day), with only a minimal chance for a rogue shower or storm in the mountains. Otherwise, both days will be partly sunny. Temperatures will climb into the lower 80s on Friday but will again fall into the 70s later this holiday weekend.
If you’re making travel plans, the best chance for weekend rain will likely be to the south, in places like South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, or Florida. For the local area, Sunday brings a 20 to 30 percent chance of showers or a thunderstorm—again, mostly in the mountains. On the travel front, most major airports including Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, Detroit, Washington Dulles, Philadelphia, JFK, and Boston are expected to see smooth operations, with no major weather-related delays forecast at this time.
Football fans get great weather for Friday and Saturday
Friday night’s high school football games are in for fantastic weather, with fair and dry conditions forecast by the 10 News Weather Authority.
For college football, all eyes are on several big matchups:
- Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina, Sunday at 3 p.m. in Atlanta: Around 81 degrees with a 20 percent chance for a passing shower but the game is in a dome, so...NO WORRIES!
- James Madison University vs. Weber State, Saturday at 6 p.m. in Harrisonburg: Dry conditions, near 77 degrees.
- UVA vs. Coastal Carolina, Saturday at 6 p.m. in Charlottesville: Dry, partly cloudy, 79 degrees.
- Liberty vs. Maine, Saturday at 4 p.m. in Lynchburg: Upper 70s, partly to mostly sunny and dry.
- VMI vs. Navy, Saturday at 12 p.m. in Annapolis: Dry, about 74 degrees.
Whether you’re cheering from the stands or traveling to a nearby stadium, the odds look good for comfortable football weather across the region.
Cooler temperatures on the horizon for September
After a brief warm-up on Friday, with afternoon highs expected to reach around 82 degrees, a cool-down is set to begin as August wraps up and September starts. Forecasts show high temperatures settling into the 70s by Sunday and sticking there for most of the first week of September, as the month will kick off with below-average temperatures, along with slightly better chances for showers and storms by the middle of next week.
Have a great Labor Day weekend and enjoy the sunshine and football! Want to share your weekend weather photos? Pin It here!