Forecast Details for Salem, VA

Recent Locations: La Puente, CA Benedict, MN Salem, VA

Today: Sunny, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Wednesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. West wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 9am. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday Night: A chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Saturday: A chance of showers before 2pm. Sunny, with a high near 73. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 76.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 82.

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Current U.S. National Radar--Current

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National Weather Forecast--Current

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National Weather Forecast for Tomorrow

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North America Water Vapor (Moisture)

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Weather Topic: What is Rain?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Rain

Rain Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Precipitation in the form of water droplets is called rain. Rain generally has a tendency to fall with less intensity over a greater period of time, and when rainfall is more severe it is usually less sustained.

Rain is the most common form of precipitation and happens with greater frequency depending on the season and regional influences. Cities have been shown to have an observable effect on rainfall, due to an effect called the urban heat island. Compared to upwind, monthly rainfall between twenty and forty miles downwind of cities is 30% greater.

Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Weather Topic: What is Sleet?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Sleet

Sleet Next Topic: Snow

Sleet is a form of precipitation in which small ice pellets are the primary components. These ice pellets are smaller and more translucent than hailstones, and harder than graupel. Sleet is caused by specific atmospheric conditions and therefore typically doesn't last for extended periods of time.

The condition which leads to sleet formation requires a warmer body of air to be wedged in between two sub-freezing bodies of air. When snow falls through a warmer layer of air it melts, and as it falls through the next sub-freezing body of air it freezes again, forming ice pellets known as sleet. In some cases, water droplets don't have time to freeze before reaching the surface and the result is freezing rain.

Next Topic: Snow