A brief respite from the arctic freeze that gripped the area over the weekend with temperatures into the 40s Monday and a high of 45 forecast for Tuesday in Floyd and a little bit higher down the mountain in Roanoke and the New River Valley.

Rain Tuesday is expected to give way to a partly sunny Wednesday and a projected high of 41.

Enjoy it, because the mercury is headed back well below freezing with a cold low of 21 Wednesday night and a high of just 23 on Thursday and an overnight low of 10 going into another subfreezing high of 29 Friday and a shivering 20 for the low.

Moisture returns Saturday with a 50 percent chance of rain, and possibly freezing rain, on Saturday, but the thermometer is expected to reach a high of 48 and a low of above-freezing 45 in the wee morning hours of Sunday where a high is expected to venture up to 54 with more rain.

Then a wet and cold week heading into Christmas with ice to rain forecasts and a wet ending of the snow showers part of the forecast.

Figures.  A sore throat that kept me down Sunday evolved into a cold and the lasting edges still leaves me feverish and congested as I head into a busy week with a large docket for Circuit Court Tuesday, a boys JV and varsity basketball game to photograph Tuesday night, a girls JV and varsity match on Wednesday evening and Thursday covering the Floyd County Supervisors.

No rest for the weary newspaperman.  Wouldn’t have it any other way.