Bright this morning, but you'll feel the wind. Northwest gusts to 25 mph all day, the kind that rattle the awnings on Market Street and make you zip your jacket even when the sun's out. High near 63°F — cool for late April, crisp enough that outdoor seating is pleasant but not warm. Tonight drops to 40°F under partly cloudy skies, then tomorrow flips the script: 70° and mostly sunny with calm air. Today's the brisk bookend before the weekend warmth.
The Taubman Museum is open 10 to 5 today, and the current exhibitions — including the rotating contemporary gallery on the third floor — are ideal for a midday break out of the wind. Mill Mountain Theatre has a 7:30 curtain tonight; check their site for the current production. If you're looking for something quieter, the Roanoke Public Library downtown (easy four-minute walk west on Campbell) has excellent window light and reading nooks on the second floor, open until 8 tonight. Black Dog Salvage is open in Grandin Village if you want a longer outing — about a ten-minute drive — but the wind makes lingering outside less appealing today.
The Roanoke River Greenway is walkable, just dress for the gusts. The section from Wasena Park east toward Green Hill Park runs about three miles one-way, mostly flat, tree-lined in spots but exposed near the water. You'll have the path mostly to yourself mid-afternoon. Mill Mountain Summit is another option if you drive — the views are sharp today, visibility excellent, but the wind up there will be stronger. Save the longer, slower strolls for tomorrow when it's calmer and warmer.
Tomorrow's weather is the real gift: 70° and mostly sunny, light winds, a textbook spring Friday. The kind of day that makes every patio in town feel right. A slight chance of rain creeps in after 2 a.m. Saturday, but Friday daylight should stay dry. If you've been waiting for a day to sit outside longer than twenty minutes, that's your window.
Downstairs at the flats, RND Coffee opens at 7 a.m. — grab a cortado before the wind picks up. A Few Old Goats Brewery opens at 3 p.m., and the interior taproom will be busier than the courtyard today given the gusts. The patio out back is open but bring a layer. Tomorrow afternoon, though — that's when the outdoor tables fill up.