Ninety degrees today, mostly sunny through lunch, west wind light at six miles per hour. The forecast holds clear until mid-afternoon — somewhere between 3pm and 5pm, there's a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms rolling through. After that, just a slight chance before things settle into a partly cloudy night around 69. Tomorrow looks wetter — 40% chance of rain showers before nine, then storms through the day — so if you've got outdoor plans, today's the better bet.
The Taubman opens at ten this morning — six minutes on foot, modern art and whatever's rotating through the galleries right now. The Virginia Museum of Transportation is open 10am to 5pm if you've got kids or you just want to walk around big locomotives in air conditioning. Big Lick Brewing usually has something on tap by noon if you're looking for an early-afternoon stop before the storms roll in. Mill Mountain Theatre's evening curtain depends on what's running — check their schedule if you're thinking about tonight.
The Roanoke River Greenway is your best outdoor move this morning — five-minute walk to the trailhead, paved and flat along the water, and you can turn around the second the sky starts looking serious. If you want elevation, the Mill Mountain Star Trail is a real hike with real views, but you'll want to be back down before 3pm when the afternoon storms start their routine. Tomorrow's forecast is messier — 40% before nine, 50% tomorrow night — so today's the day to get outside if you're planning on it.
Friday looks like it'll stay unsettled — showers possible before 9am, then thunderstorms through the day, 40% climbing to 50% tomorrow night. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter inch, so not a washout but not a greenway morning either. If you're planning something indoors tomorrow, the museums keep their regular hours — Taubman's open until 5pm, same with the Transportation Museum. The pattern this week has been afternoon storms, but tomorrow they're starting earlier.
At the flats, A Few Old Goats Brewing is on the main floor — walk over anytime after they open, grab a table on the patio if the storms hold off. If they don't, the taproom's just as good. The courtyard's shaded through mid-morning, sunny by lunch, and if the 3pm window brings weather, you'll have plenty of warning. Tonight drops to 69 and partly cloudy — windows-open weather once the air clears.