The National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Virginia, is closely monitoring the skies in Southwestern Virginia, as the threat of severe thunderstorms is possible for most of our region throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

At 10:35 this morning, the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, issued a severe thunderstorm watch for 50 Virginia counties, including Wythe and all of its neighboring localities.  The watch is valid until 5 p.m.

According to the Weather Service, “Possible threats include damaging wind gusts up to 70 MPH, isolated hail, and a chance for tornadoes.”

County residents are encouraged to monitor local local news and/or weather radio for urgent weather updates from local officials.

This same line of storms is responsible for causing excessive damage in portions of Kentucky and West Virginia.

VDEM’s Emergency Operations Center is at Condition Yellow (Increased Readiness) and is coordinating with U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) to monitor the storm’s impact on Virginia.

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