The tornado risk to our area appears to have passed but one came close to Blacksburg Tuesday as part of the Hurricane Ida, which has devastated Louisiana and brought storms and damage to other states.

Reported Roanoke Times weather guru Kevin Myatt at 10:30 a.m. this morning:

The Roanoke and  New River valleys are in the all-clear for tornado risk today, as the atmosphere has stabilized and the wind dynamics have pushed east and northeast. The western fringe of marginal risk for severe storms, including possibly a few tornadoes, now extends from Martinsville to Bedford to Buena Vista, with the slight risk well to the east of that and enhanced risk up in the D.C.-Baltimore-Philadelphia corridor.

Modest daytime heating will enhance instability in those areas as the greatest shear of Hurricane Ida’s remnant circulation moves overhead. Besides the passing of the tornado risk, rain has been showery in the region this morning. There have been some heavy pockets — a flood advisory was issued for Maggoddee Creek in Franklin County after a quick 1.5 inches fell in its drainage area — but some other spots have gotten rather meager amounts, less than 1/4 inch through 10 a.m. at Roanoke’s official rain gauge at the airport.

With as yet no major damage reports from tornado warnings in Carroll, Montgomery or western Bedford/northern Botetourt counties last evening, it appears we are getting off pretty light from Ida’s impacts — though last night will be quite memorable for years to come in the Blacksburg area.

Downed trees and some flooding appear to be most of the problems from this storm.