CHARLESTON, W.Va. — It’s been an unusual fall so far, but not completely out of the ordinary according to the National Weather Service, but it’s all about to change.
September turned out to be the wettest on record and temperatures returned to summer-like during October according to Weather Service Meteorologist John Sikora.
“They are a little bit above normal and that’s actually causing the leaves not to turn as fast as they normally would,” he explained. “By this time, usually, you’ll see some color in the mountains–but with the warm temperatures we’ve been having it’s been delayed a little bit.”
However, as this week moves along, expect things to take a radical turn. A cold front is headed our way on Thursday which will bring rain to most of West Virginia. Tropical Storm Michael, which is currently gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico, could also latch onto the front and significantly increase the amount of rain we receive. According to Sikora, it’s still unclear how the pattern will play out for West Virginia.
“We’re definitely going to have some rain on Thursday because of the cold front,” he explained. “Michael might latch on and bring a bunch of rain close to us, or it might push out to see on the Carolina Coast, right now it’s too early to tell.”
But Sikora said with the front puling in Thursday, fall-like weather will arrive.
“Temperatures behind this cold front will be quite a bit cooler,” he explained. “We’re definitely going to see more seasonable temperatures toward the weekend.”
Story by Chris Lawrence