Here we go again…

If you have outdoor plans on Sunday afternoon/evening, keep an umbrella nearby.  Remember “when thunder roars, go indoors.”  I know that phrase may sound silly but the message saves lives.  With the combination of energy from the sun, plenty of moisture, a cold front approaching and some upper-level support, strong to severe thunderstorms are possible later on Sunday.  Gusty winds and hail will be the primary threat.  In fact, the Storm Prediction Center has our area in the “slight risk” category for Sunday.

Be sure to check in with Meteorologist Jeremy Wheeler on WAVY-TV 10 on Sunday morning for the latest forecast information.

Be safe.

Meteorologist Cheryl Nelson

As July nears a close the tropics are still quiet.  We have yet to have a named storm this hurricane season.  However, this isn’t that unusual.  Here is a graphic showing the typical peak of hurricane season.

Activity typically picks up in the tropics during the month of August with a peak in mid-September.  By September ocean waters in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean are at their warmest. 

This year could be interesting though.  With the development of El Nino, it may be difficult for tropical systems to form and maintain themselves.  During an El Nino, upper-level winds in the tropical Atlantic tend to be stronger which can “blow the tops of thunderstorms,” hence reducing chances for further development.

We’ll keep an eye on the tropics, but for now, all is quiet.

Meteorologist Cheryl Nelson

After thunderstorms pounded the Eastern Shore, Middle Peninsula and Peninsula last night, we got more storms today!  This time parts of the Southside and Northeast North Carolina got in on some of the action.  Unfortunately there were more damage reports today.  I’m sad to report that one person was struck and killed by lightning in Southern Shores, North Carolina.  Please remember if you hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning.  If you hear thunder, get indoors immediately if possible.  Flash flooding was also reported in many areas to include the Outer Banks and Wallops Island/Chincoteague. 

Here are some pictures that we received from viewers today.

Flooding in Duck, NC from Gary

By looking at the photo I can’t tell how deep the water was on the road, but for safety reasons, please remember not to drive through water of unknown depth.

Flooding in Chincoteague from Kirra

Over 4 inches of rain was reported in the Chincoteague/Wallops Island area just from today!

Trees down in Wallops Island

From Andrea in Williamsburg

The wind gusted in excess of 60 mph in severe thunderstorms which was strong enough to take down a few trees.  Trees were also reported down in Windsor, (Isle of Wight County)VA and Hobbsville (Perquimans County, NC).

Please stay safe.  If you know of damage that I didn’t mention, please let us know by posting a response to this blog.  On many occasions, we do not know the extent of storm damage until we hear from you.  Thank you!

Meteorologist Cheryl Nelson

Rainbows.  Sun.  Clouds.  Rain showers.  Thunder.  Lightning.  Hail.  Even some wind.  Whew! 

A pesky area of low pressure has been spinning off the New England coast over the past couple of days.  Every now and then impulses rotate counter-clockwise around that low pressure system.  One of those impulses moved over Hampton Roads this evening just before the sun set.  At the same time, a cold pool of air was overhead… you combine cold air aloft with energy and the heating of the day…and boom: showers all of a sudden become thunderstorms.  Some storms briefly became severe.  Hail was reported in parts of North Carolina. 

There will still be a few showers and thunderstorms around tonight, but with the loss of daytime heating (sun setting), the overall trend will be for showers and storms to weaken tonight.  As a result of the rain that fell today, there will be areas of patchy fog  tonight into Tuesday morning.

Thank you to all the WAVY-TV and Fox 43 viewers for sending their photos to photos@wavy.com.  By the way, if you could resize your pictures to be less than 1 MB before you send them that would be great!    Thank you! 

Here are just a few pictures that we received today. 

From Mario in Hampton

From Elizabeth in Elizabeth City

From Michael in York County

Meteorologist Cheryl Nelson