Last Updated on August 11, 2026 7:17 pm
The High Country is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 2 a.m. Wednesday, after the National Weather Service in Blacksburg issued Severe Thunderstorm Watch 571 Tuesday evening for a wide stretch of the region.
The watch covers seven counties in North Carolina — Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes, Yadkin, Stokes, and Surry — along with 18 counties across southwest and west-central Virginia, including the areas around Roanoke, Blacksburg, Radford, and Galax.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are favorable for strong to severe storms to develop across the watch area. It does not mean severe weather is guaranteed everywhere within it. If a storm becomes severe, the National Weather Service will issue a more specific warning for the affected location.
The watch caps off a day that saw repeated rounds of strong storms move through the High Country. Multiple Special Weather Statements were issued Tuesday afternoon as storm after storm tracked across the region, and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for northeastern Caldwell County. A Flash Flood Warning also went into effect for central Wilkes County after radar indicated 1 to 2 inches of rain had already fallen, with additional heavy rain possible.
The severe weather threat comes on top of a Flood Watch that remains in effect for Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties through Thursday morning, as a persistent, moisture-rich pattern continues to bring repeated rounds of storms to the region.
Forecasters say storm chances remain in place into Wednesday, with strong to severe storms possible again Wednesday afternoon and evening.
