NORFOLK, Va. — Hampton Roads is no longer at risk of severe weather, with a tornado watch expiring Wednesday evening.
The National Weather Service (NWS) Wakefield issued a tornado watch for Hampton Roads and surrounding areas until 7 p.m. That watch has since expired.
The 13News Now Weather Team had declared a Weather Alert Day for Wednesday, April 3, 2024. The alert was initially called due to severe weather that could have had a notable impact on the day-to-day lives of people in our communities.
7 p.m. — Tornado watch expires for Hampton Roads, Peninsula
A tornado watch that was in effect until 7 p.m. for the Virginia Peninsula and Hampton Roads has expired, according to the NWS.
5 p.m. — VDOT warns drivers of heavy wind on James River Bridge
The Virginia Department of Transportation is warning people driving on the James River Bridge connecting Isle of Wight County with Newport News of potential delays due to high winds.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connecting Hampton Roads to the Eastern Shore is operating on Level 2 wind restrictions. The speed limit is reduced to 45 miles per hour.
For the latest road conditions across Hampton Roads, visit 13News Now's Traffic page.
4:45 p.m. — Previous storm warnings west of Hampton Roads expire
Tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for central Surry County have expired.
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for central Surry County until 4:45 p.m., but the threat has diminished. Large hail and damaging winds are still likely.
A severe thunderstorm warning was also issued for northeastern Sussex County and Surry County until 4:45 p.m.
4 p.m. — Tornado watch called for the Peninsula, Hampton Roads
A tornado watch is in effect until 7 p.m. for the Virginia Peninsula and all of Hampton Roads.
Affected Cities:
- Norfolk
- Portsmouth
- Chesapeake
- Suffolk
- Virginia Beach
- Colonial Heights
- Danville
- Emporia
- Franklin
- Hampton
- Hopewell
- Lynchburg
- Newport News
- Petersburg
- Poquoson
- Richmond
- Williamsburg
Affected counties:
- Accomack
- Amelia
- Appomattox
- Brunswick
- Buckingham
- Campbell
- Caroline
- Charles City
- Charlotte
- Chesterfield
- Cumberland
- Dinwiddie
- Essex
- Gloucester
- Goochland
- Greensville
- Halifax
- Hanover
- Henrico
- Isle of Wight
- James City
- King and Queen
- King George
- William
- Lancaster
- Lunenburg
- Mathews
- Mecklenburg
- Middlesex
- New Kent
- Northampton
- Northumberland
- Nottoway
- Pittsylvania
- Powhatan
- Prince Edward
- George
- Richmond
- Southampton
- Surry
- Sussex
- Westmoreland
- York
- Gates (North Carolina)
- Hertford (North Carolina)
4 p.m. — Weather Update
Expected impacts: moderate rain, and thunderstorms capable of producing damaging wind gusts, hail and/or a couple of isolated tornadoes.
Timing: Early afternoon into early evening, about until 8 p.m.
Location: It appears that Wednesday's storms may be more intense over parts of the Peninsula and Middle Peninsula, and Northern Neck and Eastern Shore. That being said, everyone still has the good chance to at least see some rain.
Right now: Showers are increasing and will eventually become more widespread across the region. The potential for severe thunderstorms is also increasing, and that will continue this afternoon. Several severe storm warnings are popping up west and north of Hampton Roads.
Looking ahead: The strength of any thunderstorms this afternoon will be determined by the timing of the storms and the heat of the day. High temperatures Wednesday will be mainly in the 70s.
What our Meteorologists watching:
A frontal boundary lifted just north of Hampton Roads Tuesday, allowing warmer and more humid air to build across the region. Then a powerful cold front will move across the region during the late afternoon Wednesday, potentially triggering a line of strong to severe storms.
Showers Wednesday are expected to be fairly widespread over most of southeastern Virginia and scattered over northeast North Carolina.
The cold front passing during the late afternoon may trigger strong to severe storms with possible hail, gusting winds, and isolated tornadoes. Damaging winds could reach 60-plus miles per hour.
An area of low pressure may develop along the cold front and pass through northern Virginia. If that does develop, we may find some additional wind shear over those northern parts of the region.
The severe weather is expected in the early afternoon to early evening hours. The system will likely clear the coast sometime Wednesday evening.
What is a Weather Alert Day?
This is issued by the 13News Now weather team when there is high confidence that forecast inclement weather will bring impacts to the Hampton Roads community.
The 13News Now Weather Team will declare a Weather Alert Day as soon as we have high confidence that rough weather will affect you, your commute, your plans, or your routine. Whether it's hazardous weather that you need to take extra precautions for, or just a day that you need to be a little more weather aware, our goal with this is to help you prepare ahead of time for weather impacts and keep you and your family safe.
