West Virginia Weather 3/7 Morning - Thunder Lullaby, Warm Front Shock

Good morning. West Virginia. I'm Aaron Jolly. Step outside right now. And you might think it’s June, not March. We’re sitting at **83 degrees** — yes, you heard that right — **83 degrees** in early March. That's **25 degrees above normal** for this time of year. Records are falling like dominoes today, with Wheeling and Dubois already hitting all-time highs. But don’t get too comfortable with that summery warmth. A storm system is barreling in. And it’s bringing a **dramatic reality check** — think thunderstorms, wind gusts to **35 miles an hour**. And a temperature freefall overnight. Classic West Virginia: we’ll give you a taste of summer in the morning and remind you it’s *still technically winter* by Sunday. That clear blue sky overhead? Winds out of the southwest are already gusting to **25 miles an hour**, pushing temperatures into the **upper 70s to low 80s** statewide. But this isn’t just warmth — it’s *fuel*. The National Weather Service is warning that these conditions are **priming the pump for severe thunderstorms** later today. We’ve got plenty of moisture, instability. And wind shear in place. The only question is *when* and *where* the storms fire up. The first round of thunderstorms rolls in **between 1 P.M. and 5 P.M.** — earlier in the west, later in the east. These aren’t your garden-variety spring showers. We’re talking **damaging wind gusts up to 60 miles an hour**, frequent lightning. And even the chance of a **brief tornado**, especially in the Northern Panhandle. The storms will march eastward, peaking in intensity around **7 P.M.** when they’re most widespread. By **11 P.M.**, the bulk of the action should push into Virginia, but lingering showers and rumbles of thunder could stick around until midnight. Let’s tour the state — because this isn’t a one-size-fits-all storm. Central West Virginia, you’re the bullseye for the strongest storms. Charleston and Huntington, expect **temperatures near 84 degrees this afternoon**, then a **sharp drop to 56 degrees overnight** as the storms roll through. Winds will howl out of the southwest at **14 miles an hour**, with gusts to **26 miles an hour**. The thunderstorms here could dump **a quarter-inch of rain in a short time**. And with soils already saturated from recent rains, **localized flooding is possible** in poor drainage areas. Up in the Northern Panhandle, you’re under the gun for the **earliest storms**, arriving as soon as **1 P.M.** The National Weather Service is especially concerned about **rotating storms** in this area — meaning the tornado risk is a bit higher here than elsewhere. Wheeling and Morgantown, you’ll see temperatures **peak at 78 degrees by 2 P.M.**, then plummet to **53 degrees by morning**. Winds could gust to **24 miles an hour** ahead of the storms, making it feel like a tropical system blowing through. After the storms, **a secondary line of showers** moves in overnight, keeping things soggy until sunrise. Down in Southern West Virginia, you’ll hang onto the warmth a little longer, with highs **topping out at 76 degrees** in Beckley and Bluefield. But don’t be fooled — your storms arrive **by 6 P.M.**. And they’ll pack a punch. The biggest concern here's **heavy downpours** in a short amount of time, which could lead to **flash flooding** in low-lying areas. Overnight lows drop to a **mild 54 degrees**, but by Sunday morning, you’ll wake up to a **much cooler 42 degrees** — a 30-degree swing in 12 hours. As the cold front sweeps through, temperatures **crash**. Lows by Sunday morning will range from **the upper 30s in the mountains to the mid-50s along the Ohio River**. But the bigger story? **The wind shift.** Southwest winds that have been blasting us with warmth all day will flip to the **west overnight**, ushering in cooler, drier air. By Sunday, it’ll feel like someone flipped a switch — **humidity drops, skies clear. And temperatures struggle to climb out of the 60s**. Here’s your heads-up for the week ahead. Sunday